Please, let me go
by deviantartsbiglover
Summary: When Noah and Cody's relationship reaches a certain member of the cast's ears, that member grows furious. Furious enough to steal Chris's plane, the million dollars... and take Cody with him. Pairings: AleCody, NoCo.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

The whole plane was silent. Dead silent. Everybody was left behind, save for him and the one responsible for all this.

Cody sat on Chris's bed, crying loudly. His kidnapper had decided to lock the young brunette in the sadistic host's suite while he would go steer the plane. So now here he was, locked in the huge dorms, alone and scared. He didn't want to be here. He wanted to be in Noah's arms, having the darker boy telling him that everything was okay.

Why? Why did _he_ have to fall in love with him? Why couldn't it be someone else? Why did he have to stay away from his boyfriend? Why?

Cody was so focused on finding answers to his questions he didn't notice the suite's door unlocking. The door opened and a dark figure entered the room, immediately locking the door again.

When the geek felt someone sitting on the bed right next to him, he lifted his head and looked his kidnapper straight in the eye. He found himself staring at blue irises, lighter colored than his, and he could see they held nothing but evil and lust. More fat tears ran down his cheeks.

"S-shouldn't you… be steering t-the p-plane?" he asked, trying his best to stop crying in front of the figure.

"Do not worry, _chico guapo_. I managed to turn on the auto-pilot. Now I can spend my whole time here with you." The figure replied, placing a strong hand on Cody's thigh, rubbing it gently. It was making the smaller boy feel uncomfortable. He tried to pry the hand away, only to have it holding his own pale one and lifting it so that tanned lips would kiss it's back. He shivered. He didn't want to be touched like this. Not by this person.

"Don't feel bad, my little flower." The figure said, his Mexican accent echoing in the room. "There's nothing to be ashamed of. We are absolutely perfect for each other." He placed his lips on Cody's hand again. "I can give you all the pleasure in the world."

Cody's tearful teal colored eyes widened at hearing the last sentence. He took his hand away from the other boy and stood up quickly, facing him and backing away, slowly approaching the door.

The figure didn't move. It just sent him a smile as the distance between them increased. His smile widened even more when the tech geek reached the door and desperately tried to open it, only to find out it was locked.

"There's no point in trying to escape, Cody." He said, standing up and approaching the brunette once more.

Said brunette had resumed his crying, his head down in defeat. He really wanted to leave. He wanted to be with Noah.

"Please… let me… let me go…" he begged between loud sobs. But the figure just crossed his arms.

"I'm sorry, Cody, but I have been through too much trouble to get you. I cannot let you go."

Cody turned around, more and more tears rolling down his already tear stained face.

"P-please… I beg you…"

The taller boy shook his head slowly.

"No. I won't ever let you go."


	2. Chapter 1: Cody's boyfriend

**Chapter 1**

The economy class was the same as always: stinky, dirty, uncomfortable and you keep having the feeling that the walls around you are going to break apart anytime soon.

Alejandro hated everything about the economy class. Especially when Team Amazon wasn't there too.

Today, however, wasn't one of those days. For once, it was team Victory's turn to travel in first class, leaving the other two teams in economy class. In other words, Team Amazon was there. So now Alejandro could watch the only thing that made economy class bearable.

Cody.

The Mexican boy has been eyeing the young brunette ever since the third season of this dumb show has started. He just couldn't help it. The boy was too cute, too nice… too beautiful to be ignored. It would be against the rules of the Universe and Nature _not_ to fall for him.

His light blue eyes travelled along Cody's sleeping form, admiring every detail and curve in it.

First they started on his feet. Cody was lying on the wooden bench, in the wall opposite to Alejandro, leaning against Sierra and with his feet on the bench. Alejandro always thought that Cody had very delicate feet. When the smaller boy caught the stalker girl massaging his feet in his sleep, Alejandro had noticed that his feet were quite smaller than his sneakers let out. They were the smallest and most delicate feet he had ever seen. And apparently, for some reason, Cody felt ashamed about it. 'A man shouldn't have feet like I do.' He had once said, blushing. 'It's kinda embarrassing. That's why I wear such big shoes. That way people think that my feet are normal.' Alejandro winced at hearing him say that. Normal? His feet were perfect. How could he think they were not normal? In his opinion, Cody should walk around barefoot around the plane so that everyone could see what normal feet should look like.

His eyes kept on with their journey, this time focusing on the sleeping boy's legs. Cody had his legs slightly bent, enough for his jeans to hug his thighs tightly. If there was something the bearded teen liked in him, it was his legs. Not too thin, not too thick. Just slim, curvy, perfect legs. Alejandro didn't understand why Cody liked to wear such large pants. Tighter jeans would look so much better on him. His curves should be shown, not hidden. And that included his butt.

The Mexican boy stared hungrily at the geek's behind. It was relatively small, even smaller than Heather's (and she already had a small ass), so it was really tiny. And apparently _tight_. Alejandro smiled as he imagined what it would feel like to place his tanned hands on those tiny buttocks and squeeze them tight. The image of Cody moaning under his touch played in his mind, and he almost started drooling as he thought of it.

Fortunately, he got a hold of himself and opted to keep on admiring the brunette's body. His light blue eyes finally landed on Cody's chest. Although he was trapped in Sierra's embrace, his chest had enough space to rise and fall as he breathed. It was a good sign. It meant he was alive. Cody had a lean chest, which was, once again, hidden by a stupidly large shirt. Alejandro knew how curvy Cody was from the chest to his hips, and his opinion that Cody should show his natural curves rather than hide them remained. Nothing would make him change his mind.

The last thing he stared at was Cody's face. The tanned teen always thought Cody had a cute face: cute eyes, cute nose, cute smile… and that gap between his teeth was the cutest thing he had ever seen in his life. Oh, how he wished he could kiss the smaller boy's pink lips, explore that gap with his tongue, and then his whole mouth, tasting the boy's sweetness and make him purr under his touch.

His imaginary kiss was suddenly interrupted when he heard a chuckle right next to him. He looked at his right, where a delinquent with a green mohawk was, smiling at him with his arms crossed.

"Something interesting in the other team, Al?" Duncan asked, purposely calling the Mexican boy 'Al', which he knew he hated.

"Of-of course not!" Alejandro whispered abruptly, trying his best not to wake the others. "I was just… thinking about their weaknesses and how we can defeat them in our next challenge."

Duncan raised an eyebrow. "Thinking about their weaknesses, huh? By staring at Cody from head to toe for about half an hour? Dude, you're a terrible liar."

The darker boy's cheeks turned a deep red in embarrassment. Great, just great. Duncan had caught him admiring Cody's body. What would the others say when he told them?

He sighed in defeat. There was no pint in denying it. Duncan had seen it with his own eyes.

"Okay, so maybe that's not exactly true. I was… hum…" Damn, why was it so hard to confess it?

"You were just thinking about kissing him, weren't you?" the criminal asked knowingly.

"H-how did you-"

"Oh, come on. I could see it in your face, man. And you kept on licking your lips when you looked at his face. It wasn't too difficult to guess, dude."

The brown haired teen looked away from him, annoyed, and chose to stare at the boy of his dreams once more. Cody seemed slightly uncomfortable in Sierra's arms, but kept on sleeping nonetheless. Alejandro's expression softened. He seemed so peaceful in his sleep. A perfect angel.

"I'd keep away from him if I were you. He's taken."

Alejandro chuckled. "Cody's relationship with sierra is just happening in her head. Just look at him, he's desperate to get away from her."

Duncan's smile was long gone and replaced with the most serious expression he could ever have. "I said he's taken, not that he's Sierra's boyfriend."

Now he was just confused. His gaze went back to Duncan.

"If Cody's not with Sierra, then who is he with?"

The delinquent didn't answer his question. He just stared at the person that was on the other side of the Mexican boy. Taking the hint, Alejandro looked at his left, and his eyes narrowed in anger.

Noah was on the bench, leaning against the wall, sleeping. Of course. Once again, the know-it-all _had_ to be in his way. Just like he always has. Alejandro hated him so much. No matter what he did, Noah was always in the way. Always.

His hands turned into furious fist as he realized what Duncan meant. Noah was Cody's boyfriend. He took a deep breath and calmed down. Letting the news get to him wouldn't help. He had to find out more, then act.

"So, how long have they…?" he asked, not finishing his sentence on purpose.

"They're together ever since Cody was voted off in the first season. They spent enough time at the Playa Del Losers to fall in love. Of course, when Chris and the camera crew went there, they pretended that nothing was happening between them, so that son of a bitch would leave them alone."

"But what about the other losers?"

"They agreed to play pretend too. Everyone already knew about their relationship, and they were all supportive. Most of them didn't talk about it, and Izzy just teased Noah so that everyone out there would see that it was just an accident. And apparently it worked."

"Well, they fooled me." Alejandro admitted, once more sending Noah a venomous glance. No. This had to stop. Cody belonged to him, not that little egotistic nerd. He knew that if he wanted to have Cody, he would have to do something about his current relationship with Noah.

"Well, just warning ya. They've been going strong ever since. Not even stalker girl can break them up.

Alejandro innerly smiled as his fellow criminal went back to sleep. 'We'll just see about that.' He thought to himself.

* * *

Teal colored eyes slowly opened, only to find themselves staring at lighter blue ones. Cody slid away from Sierra's arms and stretched himself, sending Alejandro a smile.

"Good morning, Al." He said sweetly. Normally Alejandro would have flinched at being called 'Al', but when it was Cody, he really didn't mind. He smiled back.

"Slept well?"

"Sort of. Sleeping in Sierra's hug is not exactly the most comfortable way to sleep."

The Mexican chuckled. "I bet it isn't."

Cody smiled once again before standing up and stretching once more. His shirt lifted a little in the process, giving Alejandro a good view of the paler boy's narrow hips. His mouth was already watering inside as he stared mindlessly at the other's lower body.

"Are we the only ones awake?" Cody's voice brought him back from his trance.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. We are." He replied, a little bit jumbled as he was almost caught staring again. Damn it, he had to get a hold of himself.

The smaller boy approached the other's bench and sat right next to him. Alejandro was starting to feel nervous. He didn't dare looking at Cody, afraid that he would suspect something if he did. However, the silence was becoming way too uncomfortable, so he decided that maybe he should start a conversation. But before he could start one, a sleepy growl was heard. He looked to the side and saw that Cody was shaking Noah's knee gently, trying to wake him up.

He couldn't believe it. Cody was ignoring him and preferred to wake Noah up instead of talking with him, who was wide awake. Why was it so hard to get his attention?

The know-it-all eventually woke up and instantly sent Cody one of his smug smiles. "What did I do right to have such a view first thing in the morning?" he asked, reaching for Cody's hand. But the geek didn't let him.

"Hum, Noah… we're not the only ones awake right now."

The nerd frowned and noticed that right behind Cody was Alejandro, wide awake.

"Oh, don't worry about me, _señorito_, I already know about you two. Please, act as if I wasn't even here."

Noah lifted an eyebrow at him. "Okay, Alejandro, spit it out, what do you want?"

Alejandro felt like standing up and punching the other right on the face. However, he kept himself under control and just smiled. "Please, my friend, I just want you to feel at ease. Trust me."

"Something tells me I shouldn't."

"Noah, stop it." The young brunette interrupted, not liking where the conversation was going.

"Stay out of this, Cody."

"Noah, we've talked about this. You should trust people a little more. It's not as if he'll backstab you for this."

Alejandro's heart dropped. Cody was trusting him completely. Not a single suspicion. It almost made him reconsider his plans. _Almost_.

Noah wasn't good enough for Cody. They were exact opposites. Noah is arrogant, Cody is humble. Noah is selfish, Cody only thinks about the others. Noah is lazy, Cody is helpful.

Noah didn't deserve Cody. He was too good for him. Cody should be with him, Alejandro Burromuerto. He deserved him much more than Noah did.

"You really don't mind, Alejandro?" Cody asked him nicely.

"Of course not. Please, feel free to do whatever you want."

The geek smiled again. "Thanks."

"Whatever." Noah said in a 'butt-off' tone.

"Noah, be nice." Cody warned once again before sneaking his way into Noah's arms. He sat between the nerd's legs and leaned his back against the darker boy's chest.

Alejandro grit his teeth behind his fake smile. This show of affection was making him sick. Noah didn't deserve any of it, not a single bit. Alejandro should be the one holding Cody in his arms and snuggling with him. He should be the one dating Cody.

But for now he would wait, for he had finally found a weakness in that relationship: Noah's lack of manners. Now all he had to do was have the right timing and hope the know-it-all would say the right things. Then Cody would be _all his_.


	3. Chapter 2: Ana

**Chapter 2**

A loud noise rang through the speakers, making everybody wake up with a start. Cody and Noah had parted a few minutes before, keeping Chris from finding out they were together. The two boys already knew what time the host used to turn on the cameras, so they managed to keep their relationship hidden.

"Gooooood morning, passengers!" Chris's cheerful yet utterly annoying voice echoed from the speakers, making everyone frown. Of course he was cheerful, he had a good night sleep. In fact, every single night of his was well slept, while the cast had to put up with sleepless nights that ended up in backaches an sore bodies every morning.

"We're dropping by in Portimão, Portugal, for a little re-fueling. We'll probably spend the night there, just for the fun. And as much as I hate to say it, there's no challenge this time."

Everybody cheered, happy to finally be given a break from the constant tortures Chris makes them go through.

"Port-mau? Never heard about that place before." Gwen said.

"It's the most touristic place in Portugal. I've been there a couple times." Duncan explained.

"Really? What's it like?" Cody asked, always wanting to know what he could visit.

"Well, it has kick ass beaches, great food and amazing discos…"

"Whoa, hold it right there! Did you say 'great food'?" Owen asked with a huge smile on his face.

"You bet I did. Portuguese food is known for being both delicious and healthy."

"D-d-d-d-d-delicious and h-healthy?" the big guy asked, already trembling and drooling in anticipation. "I'M GOING TO HEAVEN, BABY! WHOOOOO!"

Everybody laughed, even Noah. They all knew Owen was trying his best to have a healthy diet, but they also knew that the big guy hat to put a lot of effort in swallowing the nasty food and avoiding throwing it up right after. So it was no wonder he was happy with such news.

Alejandro looked at Duncan. "You seem to know a lot about that country. Is there something you're not telling us?"

The other just smirked. "I have a friend/enemy there. I asked Chris to let me visit her, since we're dropping by, instead of throwing me out of the plane."

Tyler sent him a confused look. "Friend/enemy? What the heck does that mean?"

"We're friends, but we've been acting as if we hate each other's guts ever since we broke up."

"Broke up? So we're meeting an ex of yours?" Courtney asked, already feeling apprehensive.

"Chill, babe. We broke up. We've just been keeping in touch, that's all."

"I don't want you _keeping in touch_ with her!"

"Geez, calm down. We're just friends." He puts an arm around the brunette girl. "You know I only have eyes for you."

"Say whatever you want, _babe_! I am not taking my eyes off you! Or her!"

"Suit yourself." He said, kissing her deeply.

"So, what was so special about that girl for you to date her?" Noah questioned, wanting to know what kind of person they were going to meet.

"Her name's Ana Carreira. Her father's a cop, much like mine, and considered the most efficient in the country. He was even asked to become the president's bodyguard, but he refused."

"Why?"

"He hates the government. He said that there were already too many bodyguards protecting him."

"How many are there?" Gwen asked, curious.

"One. Anyway, I met her when her father invited mine over. We were passing by and he asked us to join them at dinner. We ate rabbit for dinner. She had hunted it the day before, and-"

"Hold it right there!" Courtney yelled. "What do you mean, 'hunted'?"

"Went into the woods with a gun and killed it."

She just stared at him in pure shock.

"You know, you better keep that fact from DJ. You know he might faint if he found out that your killer friend hunts rabbits."

"Geez, don't worry. She only hunts wild rabbits and warthogs." The delinquent said, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, she's one of the greatest killers in the country, perhaps even in the world."

Everyone looked at him as if he had two heads.

"You heard me. She already killed many people. But she was never arrested cause it were criminals who tried to kill her. Every case was considered as self-defense. You better get on her good side, though. She's patient, but not for long, and trust me, it's not pretty when she gets mad."

Everyone else gulped, except for Heather.

"Oh, please. You really think I'm going to believe that?"

Duncan just smiled at her. "When I get out of this plane, she'll greet me like she always does. By trying to shoot me."

"Pff, yeah right." The black haired girl rolled her eyes.

"You just watch." He replied before leaning back against the wall.

* * *

The plane landed. Owen was the first one stepping out of the plane, immediately kneeling and kissing the ground. The others followed, Chris McClean and Chef Hatchet being the last ones stepping out.

"So, Duncan, where id this friend/foe of yours?" Heather asked as she approached the black and green haired boy. However, Duncan wasn't given time to answer, for a bullet hit the ground between them. The sound of a firing gun echoed in the air, and the traitorous girl screamed in surprise, while the convict just smiled at who was trying to shoot them.

Everybody looked. There stood a girl slightly taller than Beth would be, but her height didn't reach Courtney's. She wasn't exactly what you would consider as a model. Her thighs were thick and her ass was as big as LeShawna's. However, she wasn't even close to being fat. In fact, the thickness of her legs just emphasized her great curves. The cast could see she also had well-defined muscles, even more than the ones Eva had. Chris was, however, more focused on her big (although not as big as LeShawna's) breasts, which, despite being covered by an incredibly loose t-shirt, were round and perky.

Everyone could see she didn't give a shit about fashion. Her dark brown hair was hidden inside a red cap, only a few bangs out in the open. She was wearing a pair of old, dirty sneakers, along with a pair of loose, worn out military pants that seemed they would slide down her legs any minute. Her extremely loose shirt had a dark green, undone vest over it. The vest's pockets were filled with bullets and other ammo.

A shotgun was tightly held in her hand and aimed at the travelers, while two others pistols were tied around each one of her thick thighs.

One word to describe her: scary. She didn't even send them a smile or a 'Welcome to Portugal'. Nothing. Just pure hatred in her dark brown eyes.

Duncan, however, couldn't keep himself from smiling at her.

"Guys, I'd like you to meet Ana." he said and immediately ran towards the girl. He had enough time to reach her, for she slowly recharged the gun, purposely giving him time to put up a fight.

She finished recharging and instantly tried to shoot him again. The delinquent dodged every bullet with amazing speed and jumped over her. He landed right behind her and tried to trip her with his foot, but he only succeeded in making her lose balance. That was enough, though. He stood up and took her gun from her hands. However, she was persistent and kicked his hand, forcing him to drop the weapon.

"Awesome…" Harold said in amazement.

All the cast stared at them wide-eyed, including Chris and Chef. They watched as the two ignored the lost gun completely and displayed a series of martial art techniques instead. They dodged each other's attacks and punched and kicked, apparently not going to get tired anytime soon.

Chris observed with an amused smile. Not his usual sadistic smirk, a smile. Damn, that girl was even worse than Chef. And he couldn't say he didn't like it.

They kept fighting non-stop. Duncan's clothes were completely wet, while the girl didn't break a sweat. Apparently it got boring for her and she decided to end it by tripping the criminal, successfully making him fall to the ground, Still, he didn't give up. He crawled towards the shotgun lying on the floor, just a few feet from him. Noticing his goal, the girl immediately pulled both her pistols out and followed him.

Duncan snatched the gun and pointed it at her, only to have her left arm hit his hand and throw the weapon to the side, while the pistol in her right hand was pressed against his forehead.

She pulled the trigger.

Everyone gasped.

Tears were already forming on Courtney's (and Gwen's) eyes.

She actually did it.

She pulled the trigger.

But… then how come they didn't hear a 'Bang'?

Time seemed to slow down as the girl stared Duncan in the eye.

"You'd be dead by now." her smooth, calm yet very much dangerous voice broke the silence as she slowly drew her gun away from his forehead. "However, you've managed to take my shotgun away from me. Impressive." She took her time standing up and placed her pistols back in the straps around her thighs. "Luckily for you, I… _forgot_ to charge these."

The dark haired boy chuckled.

"Always making sure it's really me, huh, Ana? Do you ever trust anyone?"

"I'm not going to answer that." The girl moved away from him, focusing on the frightened cast instead.

"What are you looking at?" She asked threateningly.

Everyone took their gazes off her, not wanting to piss her off on the first day.

Chris, however, couldn't stop looking at her, admiring her from head to toe.

She looked back at him, and their gazes met. Chris was confronted with two very much dark brown eyes, almost pitch black, that clearly showed what their owner was. Sadistic, evil, fearless, and ready to kill anything that got in her way.

"Well, guys, this is Ana." Duncan presented once again. "My friend/enemy."

* * *

The dangerous girl, now known as Ana, led them to a peaceful side of the city. In other words, her neighborhood. She lived in a dead end, but not one of those dark dead ends like you see in huge cities or movies. This dead end was just a road that would end right after turning a slight corner to the left. On each side of the wide road were lots of friendly looking houses, all in different sizes and shapes, some were white, some were beige, some were pink, some taller than others, some with lawn, some without it.

Dogs could be heard barking as they felt the new neighbors arriving, but not in a menacing way. It was more in an excited way, as if they were welcoming the newcomers to the neighborhood.

The killer girl took them to and enormous house in the beginning of the road that led them to the dead end. It was an old-looking house, three floors high and with a basement, and although apparently antique, it seemed to be very cozy and comfortable.

Sierra noticed that she could peek a little and see a bit of the backyard, squealing at what she saw.

"OMG, Cody look! There's a pool in the backyard!"

The small brunette sent it a small glance and smiled, but he didn't pay much attention to it. He was actually more focused on the music that was coming from the basement. It was a beautiful melody, played by an instrument that he couldn't recognize. It was such a foreign sound to him. He had never heard a sound like that before. But he liked it anyway.

"Who's playing that music?" he asked, looking at the Portuguese girl.

"Probably Mr. Víctor. He's a fado player."

"Fado?" Noah asked. He was a know-it-all, yet he didn't know what fado was. He blushed in embarrassment at his own ignorance. "Can you explain what that is?"

"To put it simply, it's traditional Portuguese music. No matter where you go, you'll never hear fado unless you're in Portugal."

"I see…"

Ana snuck her hand into the other side of the gate and opened it. Everyone entered and followed her as she walked down the ramp that led to the basement and opened the door.

Inside was what had once been a garage, only that it was turned into an office. A desk with loads of papers and a computer on it was placed close to the wall across from them, just leaving a little space between it and the wall so the chair could fit in there. Two other long tables were placed on the sides, one on the right and one on the left, both with lots and lots of guitars on them.

The instruments were, however, foreign to them. They had 12 strings instead of just six, and the body was just a circle instead of the usual form of an 8. They had never seen anything like it.

In the middle of the room was a man. An old man, sitting on a chair and playing one of those strange guitars. He seemed to be in his sixties, short grey hair covering his scalp, body already weakened by the age and a pair of glasses on his thin nose, allowing tired, light brown eyes see what goes on around them.

Although he had acknowledged them, the man didn't even send them a glance. He just kept playing.

Ana approached the table on the right and grabbed an acoustic guitar, sat on the table and instantly played along with him. The two different guitars played in perfect tune, composing a beautiful sequence of sounds, calm but not sad.

A feeling of satisfaction, calmness and happiness ran through the cast. Noah, who was, as usual, standing right next to Cody, and noticing that neither Chris or the camera crew were looking at them, took the paler brunette's hand with his own tanned one, squeezing it comfortingly and smiling as he received a squeeze from Cody as a response. Their fingers crossed, and the two different colored hands embraced one another in a passionate hug, transmitting the affection between the two young lovers.

Their gazes met, shining with love, teal staring into dark brown, a sweet smile receiving a smug one, and both wishing that their smiles could join in a kiss.

Little did they know that right behind them was someone extremely unhappy with that moment. No, scratch that. Unhappy is putting it too lightly. The right word is _furious_.

Alejandro's eyes narrowed as they witnessed Cody's display of affection towards Noah. Large hands clenched tightly, trembling in an effort to remain under control. And they succeeded. For now.

The Mexican boy calmed himself down. He took a big breath and sighed silently. He knew he had to keep it together if he wanted his plan to work. He had to remain under control.

* * *

The music stopped in a calm rhythm. Ana stood up and put the guitar back in place. Then she approached the old man and they did something that really surprised the cast (and seriously annoyed Chris). They kissed each other on the cheek.

"Então, Aninhas, tudo bem?" 1 He asked.

"Vai-se andando." She replied and looked at the visitors. "Senhor Víctor, está aqui o pessoal que reservou os apartamentos." 2

"Ah, com que então são estes." 3 He said, standing up and approaching the newcomers with a warm smile. He shook Chris's hand in a very friendly manner. "Prazer em conhecer-vos. Se precisarem de alguma coisa, é só dizerem à Ana e ela informa-me do que for preciso."

The host sent him a confused smile. he didn't understand a single word of what the friendly man had said, which made the killer roll her eyes.

"He said 'It's a pleasure to meet you all. If you need anything, just tell Ana and she'll inform me of whatever is needed.'"

"Oh."Chris replied with a smile. "Thank you."

Mr. Víctor returned the smile, apparently knowing what those two words meant. He turned to the hunter girl and handed her a bunch of keys.

"Leva-os para os apartamentos nos segundo e terceiro andares. Raparigas no segundo e rapazes no terceiro." 4

"Ok." The killer grabbed the keys and headed to a wooden door right next to the computer's desk.

"E Ana?" She stopped, not facing him. "Nada de armas. Não quero que aconteça o que aconteceu da última vez." 5

She looked at him, the amusement in her dark eyes not reaching her serious face.

"Não prometo nada." 6

Nothing more was said. Ana grabbed Duncan by the shirt and dragged him through the door. The others followed. The door opened to reveal a flick of stairs, which led to yet another door. They walked through it and Sierra squealed in excitement. Right in front of them was the pool she had noticed before.

"OMG, OMG, we have a pool! Cody, we have a pool!" the black girl said, hugging the small boy tightly against her chest, knocking all his breath out of him.

The killer just rolled her eyes.

"These stairs lead you to two floors." she pointed to an open door, right beside the one they had just come from. "Girls go to the second floor, guys to the third."

"What?" Heather, of course had to put a problem in it. "Why should the girls stay in the second floor? Everybody knows guys are loud and filthy Neanderthals who take a leak in every possible corner they find, and we have to sleep under them while they make every kind of noise and filth? What if they break the ceiling and fall on top of us?" The Portuguese killer just watched as the raven haired girl rambled. "I think that girls, as superior beings, should be in the third floor. Besides, being as high as possible gets me on a good mood."

"Man, that wasn't very nice…" Owen said, immediately shutting up as the bitchy girl sent him a death glare.

Silence. Everyone stayed silent as they saw Ana approach Heather in a dangerously slow pace, like a lioness approaching her prey. Heather, however, just sent her a superior stare and a smirk, as if she was right all along.

But that smirk was suddenly gone and replaced by a panicked expression, and the girl let out a scared gasp as the young hunter wrapped her fingers around the taller girl's neck and lifted her off the ground. Heather tried to break free, but to no avail. She was too strong.

"There must be something wrong with me, because I think I just heard you questioning my orders." Ana's voice came out smoothly and with a calm tone, but it didn't take a genius to understand that she wasn't goofing around. She was freaking serious.

No one dared to interfere, both hate for Heather and fear of Ana getting in the way. The tall girl was scared shitless, something she hadn't felt for a while. The other girl could do whatever she wanted with her, and she was unable to protect herself.

And stood like that for a while, then dropped the Canadian girl, letting her fall to the ground with a loud thud. Heather grasped her throat and coughed, gasping for air.

"I'm giving you two choices." The brunette said, slowly lowering down to the other's level. "You can sleep in the second floor, under the guys, protected from cold and harm, or you can sleep outside in the street, where every single cold night gypsies walk around, stealing and killing anything they find unprotected out there. Choose."

The dark haired girl coughed one last time before giving her the answer, her voice trembling with fear. "S-second floor… sounds g-great." She finished by sending her a nervous smile.

"Thought so." Ana stood up and walked towards the door, leading the cast to their respective rooms.

**

* * *

**

Translation Key:

1 "So, Aninhas, how's it going?" (Note: Aninhas is like a 'pet name' of Ana. Normally on very close people use those pet names, but it's most commonly used by older family members."

2 "So far so good. Mr. Víctor, here's the people that reserved the apartments."

3 "Ah, so these are the ones."

4 "Take them to the second and third apartments. Girls in the second and boys in the third."

5 "And Ana? No guns. I don't want what happened last time to happen again."

6 "I promise you nothing."


	4. Chapter 3: First day in Portimão

**Chapter 3**

"And this is where you guys are sleeping." Ana said as they reached the third floor.

Chris and Chef were staying in the first floor, in and extra room that Mr. Víctor had in the first floor. They were the first ones left behind in the 'tour'.

The girls were already settled in the second floor, all in their respective rooms and already unpacking.

And now it was the boys' turn.

"This floor has four bedrooms and two bathrooms." She approached one of the doors. "Now this is the reason why Mr. Víctor told me to put the guys in the third floor."

"A room? Why does it-" The killer didn't let Tyler finish. She just opened the door, never taking her eyes off them to see their reaction.

They all just stared, their eyes wide as plates.

Inside the room was a closet, a bookcase, an armchair… and a double bed in the middle.

"You see, Mr. Víctor and I heard through a green mohawked source about the two lovebirds. This is the only guest room aside from mine that has a double bed, so we decided that this room shall go to them."

Noah and Cody stared at each other. They were sharing a bed. All alone. That night would be rather fun.

"What are you waiting for? Go put your bags there." The killer ordered, waiting for the couple to go in.

The two boys stepped in and put their bags on the bed.

"The other three rooms have two separate beds each. So you guys choose your partners for the night." The dangerous girl said before leaving the apartment.

"Well, our room is picked out. You guys have fun dividing in groups while Cody and I will go have a little quality time together." Noah said, putting an arm around Cody's shoulders. The smaller boy blushed and smiled at his boyfriend, and soon the two went inside their room, locking the door just to make sure they wouldn't be bothered by anyone.

Alejandro's blood boiled inside him. He knew perfectly well what the two nerds were planning. He could already imagine it. Their bags left to unpack, their clothes scattered on the floor, ignored, as they used their brand new bed. The image of Noah's tanned, naked body making love to Cody's pale, delicate and fragile one was driving him insane. He didn't want that to happen. It was adding insult to injury! How could someone as sweet, nice and friendly as Cody hook up with such a sarcastic, arrogant and conceited jerk as Noah Akamai, when there were clearly so many better men out there? Alejandro admitted it, he did have some flaws, but he wasn't as arrogant and nasty as Noah was.

"Hey Al!" Owen's friendly voice brought him back from his fury fit, and he almost paled. No. No, no, no, he would _not_ share a room with Owen. Not only was the big guy an annoying fart machine, but he was also always calling him 'Al', which he hated with all his strength.

No. He had to get away from this one. But who would he pair with. It had to be someone stupid and clumsy, someone who had no chance of interrupting his plans. He smiled. He knew the perfect idiot for the job.

The Mexican approached Tyler.

"Say, my friend, would you like to share a room with me?"

The jock sent him a look of pure disbelief.

"Why in the world would you want to share a room with me, Al?"

A slight flinch.

"Oh, come now, I have to say that no one has been very fair to you. After all, you did nothing wrong, yet people tend to ignore you. I do not think that's fair. So I've decided that I would very much give you a chance and try to enjoy your company."

Tyler stared at him for a while. Alejandro was trying his best to keep calm, although inside he was very nervous. But he soon calmed down as the anti-jock smiled at him.

"Sure, why not?"

"Great! What do you think of this room?" The Mexican boy asked, pointing to the room right next to Noah and Cody's.

"Fine by me. They're all the same anyway." Tyler said.

They grabbed their bags and went inside their room to unpack.

* * *

"Ah… Nnnghhh…"

Their bags were left on the floor, still to unpack.

"Oh!… Oh God… Ah!…"

Their clothes were scattered on the floor, completely ignored.

"Oh… N-Noah…"

Cody let out a whimper as the tanned know-it-all thrusted into him again. Noah's tanned, slightly strong body was on top of Cody's pale, delicate one, the smaller boy's thin legs spread as the Indian's hips pounded in and out between them.

Teal eyes widened and another whimper came out of Cody's lips when he felt a certain spot being hit.

"God, Cody…" Noah groaned in pleasure. "You're so tight…"

"I'm not, you're just too- Ah!… too big…"

Cody wasn't lying. Unlike all the other members of the cast thought, Noah was huge, regardless of his small stature. And Cody loved it.

Noah smirked at his boyfriend before biting him on the neck, receiving a gasp from him.

"Well, then, Cody, do you want me to pleasure you with my big dick?" He asked, licking the wounded skin he just bit.

The geek's head rolled back in pleasure.

"Y-yes, Noah… fuck me… fuck me senseless… please…"

Noah shifted into a sitting position, his member still inside the younger brunette, and grasped his thighs with his hands. Before Cody knew it, Noah was thrusting fast, hard and deep into him, never missing the spot that sent a shiver through the geek's body,

"Oooohhh! NOAH! Yes! Yes! YEEEESSSS! FUCK ME! FUCK ME HARD! Ah! AH! AAAAAHHHH!" Cody let out a loud scream, coming onto his and Noah's chests.

Noah felt Cody's muscles tighten around his cock, and it didn't take long for him to spill his seed deep into Cody. He came and came and came, and even some of his semen spilled out from Cody's entrance in small squirts.

"Ahhhh, shit…" he moaned in pleasure as he felt a strong orgasm run through his entire body before collapsing onto the pale boy.

Cody's arms found their way around Noah's shoulders, and his lips turned to form a sweet smile.

"That felt… amazing…" Cody panted, completely out of breath from the intense pleasure his boyfriend had just given him.

The know-it-all chuckled and slowly pulled out of him. More of his semen came out of the paler boy's hole, forming a puddle on the bed.

"God, Noah… If I were a woman, I would already be pregnant with seven kids." Cody said, feeling all Noah's seed come out of him.

The tanned nerd laughed and kissed him. "And I would love to be the father of your seven kids." he said, planting kisses from Cody's shoulder to his neck. The small boy smiled softly.

"I love you, Noah Akamai."

"I love you too, Cody Anderson."

The two boys kept themselves in an embrace, sharing a last kiss before dozing off.

* * *

The bathroom was filled with steam. The hot water was turned on. Water splashed over a somewhat strong body, and two hands were pressed firmly against the wall of the shower.

Chris couldn't understand what was wrong with him. He just met Duncan's friend, yet he couldn't take her out of his mind. If he closed his eyes, he could practically see her right in front of him, her pitch black eyes staring straight at his dark brown ones, her curvy body pressed against his taller one…

He grasped his hair and groaned. What was going on with him?

* * *

He finished the shower and got out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his hips as he dried his hair with another. It felt good to be freshly clean. Travelling in a plane sure can get you filthy.

The host dried his hair and froze when he put the towel away from his face.

Right there, sitting on his bed, and with her arms crossed, was none other than Ana, the killer.

Chris let out a big scream and backed away. Unfortunately for him, the movement made the towel around his hips unwrap and fall to the ground, giving the Portuguese girl a good view of the raven haired man.

Her eyes widened a little. Chris covered his parts with his hands, blushing in embarrassment. Ana's eyes turned back to normal, indifferent, yet with an evil glint in them.

"Nice." she said in amusement.

"What are you doing in my room?" Chris yelled, his parts still covered with one hand while he tried to pick the towel up from the floor with the other.

"Not my fault I got impatient. I'm not the one spending two hours in the shower." She said, standing up and approaching the host. "Just telling you to get the kids. We're going to the beach."

"What? But I've just showered, and we're all tired, and-" Chris cut himself off when a gun was suddenly pressed between his eyes. "Hum… let me just get dressed and I'll go get them.

"How nice of you." The killer girl replied, removing the weapon from Chris's face and leaving the room.

The raven haired man, still shaking from the scare, went over to his closet and started gathering his clothes.

Damn that girl was dangerous.

He liked it.

* * *

A knock was heard on the door.

Noah stood up and put some clothes one before answering it.

Duncan was right on the other side, hands in his pockets.

"What is it, Duncan?" Noah asked in a bored, tired voice. The delinquent peeked over the smaller teen's shoulder and spotted Cody sleeping peacefully in bed. He smiled.

"Dude, just about an hour ago Ana was showing us around, and you've already tired Cody out? Couldn't you have waited till tonight, sex machine?"

The know-it-all narrowed his eyes at the punk.

"First, he practically begged for it, and second, I asked you a question."

Duncan kept smiling. "We're going to the beach. Ana asked me to tell you to get ready."

"'Asked'?"

"Well, more like 'ordered', but you know what I mean."

Noah sighed. "Fine. I'll go wake him up and we'll get ready." He said, closing the door and going over to Cody.

"Cody? Wake up…"

* * *

The cast arrived the beach. 'Praia de Alvor', it was called. It took them a while to get there, but they had to admit, it was worth it. Half of the beach was full, then the other half was practically deserted. A true paradise.

Ana led the others to the empty part of the huge beach, far away until they reached the lighthouse. In there, it was beautiful. No trash would be found on the sand, and the water was so clean you could be the little shells at the bottom.

"Whoa…" Owen said in amazement. "This is awesome!"

Chris looks at the Portuguese hunter.

"Why would a gun lover like you bring us to a beach like this?"

All that moved in her were her eyes. Her dark eyes met Chris's as she spoke.

"Portimão has great touristic places. There is a beach with huge rocks, but the last thing we need is a motherfucker of a host like you making teenagers jump from them and almost die. It scares the tourists. If tourists disappear, so does the money. And that…" she pulls out her gun and points it at Chris. "… might not be much of good news for you."

The host smiled seductively.

"You know, it's kinda hot when you point that thing at me."

Ana's eyes narrowed.

* * *

"No no no, wait! I'm sorry!"

Chris screamed as the dangerous girl climbed the rocks that led to the lighthouse, dragging him with her. His wrists were tied together, and so were his legs.

"I'll teach you to flirt with me." She said in a calm, menacing voice, getting on top of the last rock.

"I'm sorry, I swear!"

Ana didn't listen. She grabbed him and threw him, letting him fall in the water 10 feet under them. The man screamed as his body got closer and closer to the water.

And then he was all wet.

Fortunately for him, Ana threw him in a safe zone, where he could easily reach the ground and stand, keeping himself from drowning. Laughter could be heard from all the other members of the cast, and all the camera men were filming him. He blushed in embarrassment. Maybe flirting with Ana wasn't exactly the best idea he ever had.

Suddenly, bubbles came up from both sides of him. Everyone started laughing even harder.

"Dude, that's not me!" Chris yelled, embarrassed beyond belief. Whatever was blowing out those bubbles, it wasn't him. He looked down, trying to see what it was. There was nothing there. Maybe it was a fish.

He turned around, and that's when a real scream came out of him. There was a strange short creature staring at him with wide eyes that reflected the raven haired man's image, while the rest of its face was blue colored and a long pipe was coming out of its mouth.

The host turned around again to try and run away from it, only to end up facing another, identical to the first one, only that it was yellow instead of blue.

"AAAAHHHH!" He screamed louder than ever, shivering in the purest of fears.

"Hey, man, your screams are messing with our hunt!" A young boy's voice sounded from the blue creature.

"W-what?" Chris stopped screaming and stared at the short thing.

"You heard him. Quit screaming, we're trying to get some food over here!" The yellow creature said, its voice sounding like a young girl's.

"Food? What-"

The two creatures took their 'faces' off. It weren't creature, it were just two kids wearing masks for diving. It were a boy and a girl, both around 10 years old. The boy was thin, sort of athletic, with short black hair that stuck to his face for being underwater. The girl, however, was a little bit stronger, apparently not so gifted when it came to muscle. But she wasn't fat either, she was just slightly strong.

The girl put her hand in a bag she was carrying, took out a crab and waved it in front of the host's face.

"Gah! Get that thing away from me!"

She arched her eyebrows. "Would you please stop with those screams. They're kinda gay, you know." she said before putting the crab in front of the ropes on Chris's hands, with the sea animal easily cut.

"Whoa, thanks." He said, smiling at the little girl.

"What did you do to piss our sister off? You touched her?" The boy asked.

"Hell no! I'm not a pervert, I… wait a minute, did you say sister?"

"You're surprised because?"

Chris couldn't bring himself to answer that. He just thought weird that someone so dangerous as Ana could have two siblings and not have killed them yet.

"So, what exactly did you do to get her mad?" the girl asked.

Chris hesitated. It was none of the two kids' business. However, he immediately confessed as the crab was once again waved in front of his face.

"Gah! Alright, I flirted with her!"

The two children gasped.

"You… flirted with her? Wow…"

"What? Is that so bad?"

"Dude, I'm surprised you're still alive! Only two people flirted with her: Duncan and a rapist." the girl stated with her eyes wide.

"Duncan was lucky. She just tied him up and hanged him upside down from a balcony in the third floor of a building for 10 hours. The rapist, though… well, let's just say that two days after he flirted with her he was found under a bridge, barely alive, with his balls and dick cut off."

Chris shivered. "She did that?"

"Oh, you bet! The guy lived, but he's been afraid of women ever since. Ana wanted him to suffer, that's why she let him live."

"So… it's best if I just leave her alone, huh?"

"That's actually up to you. She's testing you. You can try her test and risk having your balls cut off, or you can just give up and be a coward for the rest of your life."

"I'd advise you not to risk it. The big black guy you're always hanging with has more chances than you." the male twin stated.

The boy's statement made Chris grow furious. They thought he wasn't worthy of Ana? How dare they think that Chef had more chances than him?

"Oh yeah? We'll see about that! I'm gonna steal her heart and make her all mine! You just watch!"

The two kids stared at him for a moment. Then they put their masks on at the same time and replied in unison.

"Your funeral." they said before diving back into the water.

Chris got out of the water with his fists shut tight and gritted teeth.

* * *

"A coward, sadistic son of a bitch of a host and a freaky, dangerous, evil, armed girl who sees death as the solution for everything. A perfect couple, really." Noah said sarcastically. The nerds were sitting on their respective towels, next to each other.

"Don't be like that, Noah. I'm sure that inside she's as sweet as DJ's pet bunny." Cody said as he tried to take something out of his backpack.

"Cody, how can you see a sweet side in everyone? What good thing do you see in her?"

The paler boy looked at the Portuguese girl. "Look. Those two kids. They're showing her what they caught."

Noah looked as well and saw Ana patting the male twin on the head. By the way the two 10-year-olds smiled, she was complimenting them for their catch.

"It seems that she cares for kids. See, Noah? She's not cold hearted."

Noah looked at the girl suspiciously. "Nah, I don't buy it. There's something behind this. Why would two little kids go straight to her and show her what they caught? No, I'm sure there's a catch."

"Accept it, Noah. She cares for kids."

"Pfff, no she doesn't."

The two nerds turned around to face Duncan standing right behind them.

"What do you mean, Duncan?" Cody asked.

"She doesn't give a fuck about kids. She's nice to those two because they're her younger siblings."

"Oh…" The boy with teal eyes didn't give up, though. "Well, she might not care about little kids, but at least she cares for her family. That oughta worth something, right?"

Noah smiled at his boyfriend before putting an arm around his shoulders and kissing his forehead.

"Like I said, always finding something good in people."

The younger geek smiled and pressed his lips firmly against Noah's. "You should try it one day."

The know-it-all chuckled. "If I did, I would've been eliminated already. I'm not exactly the most favorite on this show. Besides, you're much better at that. You're unique, Cody."

Noah took Cody's lips in a deeper kiss. The geek moaned as he felt Noah's tongue brushing against his lips, begging for entrance. Which Cody was happy to grant. He opened his lips and soon the two were making out.

"Well, hum, I'm gonna go and… leave you two lovebirds alone." Duncan said.

He was completely ignored. The two nerds just kept making out. The delinquent shrugged and went over to greet the two twins and bother their older sister a little bit more.

In the meantime, two green eyes stared at the homosexual couple with pure jealousy. Alejandro Burromuerto grit his teeth as he watched Noah's body lie on top of Cody's, his tanned hands rubbing against the delicate boy's sides, caressing them carefully as if the pale body would break at the slightest touch.

One of the hands traveled to Cody's thigh, running over it smoothly, sometimes going under the geek's shorts and caressing his buttcheek.

The Mexican teen could already feel himself boil with rage. They were in a beach. It was a public area, for Pete's sake! Noah was clearly not bothered by that at all, he just wanted sex!

Alejandro's tanned hands turned into fists. This had to stop. The know-it-all was taking all of Cody's dignity, and Cody is powerless to stop him.

Alejandro swore to himself. He would save Cody. He would show him what true love is.


	5. Chapter 4: Al's first step

**Chapter 4**

"That beach was so awesome!" Owen exclaimed excitedly as they arrived Mr. Víctor's.

"I gotta say, it was pretty cool. All that space for ourselves… a true paradise." Courtney agreed with a smile.

Ana didn't mind them. She just kept driving their bus. That's when Duncan remembered something.

"Wait a minute, Ana, you're seventeen. How did you get the license?"

"I didn't." She answered, but kept driving nonetheless. The delinquent chuckled.

"Why doesn't that surprise me? The police would probably be dead before they even had the chance to arrest you."

"You bet they would." She answered, amusement evident in her voice, but not showing on her face.

In the meantime, Cody entertained the two children. Apparently Patrícia and Marco, the two twins they met in the beach, were crazy for videogames, so Cody spent their trip back showing them some tricks, which they loved to learn.

Little did he know that there was someone smiling and a pair of green eyes admiring his body hungrily.

Alejandro stared at the geek with a smile, noticing how good Cody was with kids. A true angel, yes he was. The Mexican could practically see a pair of pure white wings coming from Cody's back and a glowing halo floating over his head, both being symbols of the boy's purity of soul.

Lovely. Absolutely lovely.

And then a figure approached the trio. The twins left their seats to sit somewhere else, and the figure sat next to Cody. The geek smiled before sharing a kiss with him.

Noah put an arm around Cody's shoulders and smirked.

"If we had seven kids, they would all have a great mother."

The younger geek blushed and giggled, then laid his head on Noah's shoulder, snuggling up to him.

Alejandro couldn't take it. He had to look away. He turned his head and looked out the window, staring at the cozy looking houses that ran past them, unaware of the irritated look that a certain know-it-all was giving him.

* * *

The bus arrived Mr. Víctor's house. Ana opened the door, letting everyone out.

Making sure that Chris wasn't watching him, Noah put his arms around Cody's waist, helping him down the bus. Cody blushed and smiled, holding onto his boyfriend's shoulders as he was helped.

Once again, jealousy ran through Alejandro's body. How he wished it were his arms holding the young geek, his broad shoulders being used as a support, and his tanned lips kissing Cody's pale ones.

He was so busy day dreaming that he didn't notice creature approaching him from behind. That is, until he heard a growl behind him.

The Mexican froze. Only his head could move. So he turned his head to the side, peeking from the corner of his eye.

There, right behind him, and apparently ready to attack him, was a timber wolf. Alejandro turned to it and started backing away.

"Hum… N-nice puppy…" he said in a scared voice. After all, the last thing he, or anyone, for that matter, wanted was to get mauled by a wolf.

Everyone stood still as well.

"I-Is that a wolf?" Owen asked.

"No shit, Sherlock." Noah replied sarcastically, placing himself in front of Cody. If a goddamn wolf wanted to hurt his little geek, it had to go through him first.

But the wolf never had the chance to attack, for a person did it first.

Alejandro wasn't even given time to think, for he was suddenly tackled. It all happened too fast. He just felt something hitting his chest, his back hitting the hard concrete, and a sharp pain on his neck.

Everything went silent. Everybody's eyes widened, safe for Ana, Duncan and the twins.

Because right there, on top of Alejandro, and biting his neck, was a girl. She seemed to be at the age of seventeen, tall, with a body similar to Sierra's, only that thinner and very light skinned. Her short dark brown hair hung loosely over her brown eyes, giving her a wild look. Her fashion tastes didn't differ much from Ana. She was wearing swamp green camouflage jeans, a black long sleeved shirt, black combat boots and a long brown trench coat with a black wolf printed on the back.

The girl stayed like that for a moment, her mouth still on Al's neck. Then she came off him quickly and started spitting on the floor, as if he tasted really bad.

The tanned teen sat up and placed his hand on his neck, and felt a few drops of his red liquid. He couldn't believe it. They were meeting a freak every second.

"What were you trying to do? Eat me?" he asked, somewhat irritated.

"Yes. But I forgot I hate Mexican food." She answered, disgusted.

Alejandro didn't know what to say. He had just been attacked by a cannibal.

Duncan's killer friend stepped forward.

"Why are you here, Tahira? Our training only starts in three hours."

"And leave all the "scaring-the-new-guys" for you? Fat chance. Besides, Ricky needed some help."

"My name is RICARDO!" A male voice was heard from the gate, and then a huge crash. Everyone looked and stared at a skinny Asian boy, lying on the concrete, with a heavy looking box on his chest. "Hum… A little help?"

Ana rolled her eyes, went over to him and easily lifted the box.

"It's just a box, Ricardo."

"A box with guns that weight a ton! Why do you need so many guns anyway?" the Asian boy yelled back.

Ana ignored him completely and chose to introduce the two to the cast.

"Well, people, this is Tahira McCarthy, a fellow killer," She pointed at the girl "her wolf, Bane," then at the wolf "and the clumsy Jackie Chan over there is Ricardo. Stinks at fighting, good at tracking anyone he wants." she finished by introducing the Asian guy.

Duncan just laughed. "Dude, you're as pathetic as when we've last seen each other."

"Vai-te foder." (1) Ricardo replied in an angry tone.

* * *

Alejandro changed into more comfortable clothing. He was wearing the same pants and boots, but he replaced his red shirt with a white, more comfortable one.

He went over to the window and stared outside. Everyone was at the pool, some diving into it (like Izzy), some just chatting with each other by the pool (like Sierra and DJ) and others just sitting around, reading (like Noah). Alejandro narrowed his eyes as he stared at Noah. The guy was so lazy it was annoying. There he was, sitting by the pool, reading and relaxing, while Cody stayed in their room unpacking _both_ their bags.

Unbelievable.

However, the moment couldn't be any more perfect. It was the perfect opportunity to go 'see how Cody was doing'.

The Mexican boy walked over to the geek's room and knocked. The wooden door opened to reveal a pale, teal eyed beauty, wearing a pair of shorts and a yellow shirt, and barefoot.

The angelic teen smiled sweetly.

"Hey, Al. What's up?"

Alejandro despised that nickname so much. It annoyed him to no end. Except, of course, when Cody said it. When he did, Alejandro could feel himself melting on the inside. Because it was _his_ nickname coming out of _Cody's_ lips.

"Hum… did you need something?" The smaller boy asked, naïve teal colored eyes staring at his green ones.

"Oh, just wanted to ask you if you wanted to… how do you say it, 'hang out'? If you're not too busy, of course."

Cody opened the door further and leaned against the door frame, still smiling.

"Really? You want to hang out with me?"

"Why, _sí_. You are the nicest person in the whole cast, Cody, and to have you as a friend would make me very happy. What do you say?"(2)

"Well… sure, why not? You wanna come inside? I'm just finishing unpacking."

Cody went back inside, letting the door open for Alejandro to come in. Which he did. The tanned teen followed Cody inside, where the bags were still waiting. He looked at the double bed. He could see it had already been used, and he knew it wasn't just to take a nap.

Images of Noah's naked body over Cody's pale, also nude one, their lips joined in a kiss and their arms around each other, closing their bodies in an embrace, flashed through his mind. And suddenly, he felt sick to his stomach. Because he knew that Cody had been taken that day. That Noah had possessed him, like he had already done days before that.

He shivered. He was aware that for his plan to work, it had to be done _soon_.

'Tonight…' he thought to himself. 'Tonight.'

"I'll be done in a minute, okay?" Cody's voice brought him back to Earth. Alejandro looked at him and noticed he had resumed unpacking.

"Please, my friend, let me help you." He immediately offered to aid Cody, grabbing some of his clothes as well. Cody smiled.

"Hey, thanks. Just put my clothes in the wardrobe while I go put the hygiene stuff in the bathroom. Besides, nature's calling, if you know what I mean." Cody said with a somewhat embarrassed smile. "I can't believe I just said that."

Alejandro laughed.

"Don't worry, everybody does it." He said, receiving another smile from the angelic geek.

"I'll be right back then."

"Sure."

Cody grabbed his and Noah's hygiene materials and went to the bathroom, closing the door behind him, and Alejandro went back to putting the smaller boy's clothes in the closet.

He smiled. Cody's clothes felt soft against his palms, and he loved feeling them. It was as if he were holding silk tunics. And their smell… oh, what a beautiful odor reached his nose as he held the clothes. He grabbed one of the shirts and brought it to his nose, breathing deeply, inhaling the young geek's scent and enjoying every bit.

That is, until he was suddenly pulled away and roughly thrown into a wall.

Right in front of him stood none other than a furious-looking Noah. The tanned nerd held the taller teen by the shirt menacingly, although he was too short to even lift him up.

"Why were you messing in Cody's clothes, you slippery eel?" The know-it-all yelled, rage evident in his usually bored voice.

"I-I was just helping him." Alejandro replied, hopping Noah hadn't seen what he was really doing.

"LIAR! You were sniffing his clothes!" Crap.

Cody, alarmed by all the commotion, ran out of the bathroom and into the room.

"Noah, what's going on?"

His boyfriend looked at him. "He was messing with your luggage."

"I was not! I was just helping him unpack!" The Mexican exclaimed protectively.

"Liar!"

"He's telling the truth, Noah!" Cody screamed in panic, running over to Noah and placing his hands softly on his arm, trying to calm him down.

The know-it-all stared at him, shock evident in his eyes.

"What?"

"He offered to help me unpack, and I let him."

Silence was all that followed. Without taking his eyes off Cody, Noah slowly let go of Alejandro's shirt. His socked expression turned back into a serious one.

"Get out, Burromuerto. Cody and I need to talk in private." he said, not even bothering to look at the Mexican boy.

Alejandro was innerly smiling. This was it. If everything went according to planned, Cody would soon be at his grasp.

"Of course." he replied, leaving calmly, placing a comforting hand o Cody's shoulder in the process in the process. He got out of the room and carefully closed the door behind him. However, he didn't leave. He stayed right on the other side, listening to the conversation that was about to take place.

* * *

Noah stared at Cody with his arms crossed and an angry expression on his face. He finally broke the silence.

"Cody, what in Hell were you thinking? Letting Alejandro mess with your stuff? Seriously?"

"He offered to help me, Noah. It would be kinda rude to say 'no' to him."

"No, it wouldn't be rude, it would be smart. We can't trust him, Cody."

"Why do you hate him so much, Noah? He just wants to befriends."

"Who told you that?"

"He did!"

The two lovers were already starting to yell at each other, but now only silence filled the air for a moment.

"He told you he wanted to be your friend?"

Cody nodded.

"Please tell me you didn't." Noah said.

"Why wouldn't I? He said that I was nice. Besides, he wants to be my friend, not my boyfriend."

"I caught him sniffing your clothes, Cody!"

"Well… maybe it was a misunderstanding. M-maybe he spotted something, like a spot, and was trying to take a closer look."

Another moment of silence. Cody could tell Noah was uncomfortable with this conversation.

The know-it-all sighed.

"You think I'm saying this just because I hate him, don't you?" he asked in a low voice.

"Noah… I know you love me, and I love you too, with all my heart. But this has to stop. Your over-protectiveness is getting out of control."

Noah didn't seem to like that comment.

"Over-protectiveness? OVER-PROTECTIVENESS? I just caught a slippery eel, covered in grease, swimming in motor oil in our room, sniffing your clothes, and who, by the way, was checking you out in the bus on our way here, and you think I'm overprotective?"

"Don't talk like that about Al, Noah!"

"Oh, now you're defending him?"

"Of course I am! You're overreacting over nothing!"

"Oh, you wanna see me overreacting? His is overreacting! From now on you are _forbidden_ of being alone with Alejandro!"

Cody's eyes widened.

"What? You can't do this!"

"Yes, I can!"

"No, Noah, you can't! Just because you're my boyfriend it doesn't mean you get to choose who I can accept to be my friends! You're not my father!"

Silence. Furious pants were the only thing that could be heard in the room. Teal colored eyes stared in tensely. The two lovers were so mad at each other they no longer though before speaking.

For the third time, Noah was the one breaking the heavy silence.

"You know what, fine. If that's how you want it, fine. If you insist on putting Alejandro before me, then go ahead! Go on with your new friend. But later don't say I didn't warn you!"

That said, Noah grabbed his book and ran out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Cody stood still for a moment, staring intensely at the door. Soon his angered expression turned into a very hurt one, and tears started falling down his cheeks.

The geek threw himself onto his bed and buried his face in his pillow, crying loudly.

* * *

Alejandro smiled wickedly as he heard Noah and Cody screaming at each other in the room. Everything was coming out smoothly, all going according to planned.

suddenly the door opened and none other than Noah Akamai ran out of the room. The nerd was so blind with rage that he didn't even notice Alejandro leaning against the wall, right next to the door to his and Cody's room. He just ran out of the apartment, a book held tightly in his hand as he went downstairs to join the others by the pool.

Alejandro chuckled. Finding a weakness in Noah and Cody's relationship, get them to have an argument, separate them and take Cody for himself. Done, done, done and oh-so-close-he-could-almost-taste-it.

He stood in front of the door and knocked.

"G-go away!" he heard a crying Cody yell from the other side. But he didn't go away. Instead, he pushed the door slowly and entered. He spotted Cody lying on the bed, his head buried deeply in the white pillow as he cried.

Apparently the pale brunette heard his footsteps, foe he suddenly sat up, and enraged look in his eyes.

"What do you-" Cody started, but cut himself off when he saw who it was. "Oh… I'm sorry, Alejandro… I thought you were someone else."

The tanned boy gave an understanding nod.

"I heard screaming, then saw Noah running away from here, and now I find you here, all alone, crying. What happened?"

"Nothing… Everything's fine…"

"Please, my friend, there's no need to lie to me. You know it's best to let it out of your chest."

Cody sighed. He did need to tell someone.

"Noah and I had an argue, that's all."

"Oh, my. Was it because of me?"

The small geek sent him a sad smile.

"No, Alejandro. It wasn't your fault."

The Mexican sent him an unconvinced stare, and his strong hands placed themselves on Cody's shoulders. He could clearly see that the small brunette was trying to hold back his tears.

"Don't hold back, my friend. Let it out. It's unhealthy to keep it in."

Cody still tried not to cry, but he couldn't. The pain was too much, and he broke out crying. The Mexican boy pulled him against his strong body, embracing him in a warm hug.

"I- *sob*… I'm sorry, Al…"

Alejandro smiled.

"Sshhh… Don't speak. Just let it all out."

The geek complied, burying his face in the taller boy's torso, wetting his shirt with his tears. Al ran his fingers through the young teen's hazel hair comfortingly and laid his head on top of Cody's. A wicked smile appeared on his lips. Everything was going according to planned. Everything was going smoothly.

* * *

From the half-open door, two brown, serious, dangerous eyes stared at the two boys embracing each other.

Ana's eyes narrowed as she watched Alejandro holding Cody close, then press his nose against the geeks lighter hair, taking in his scent and smiling in bliss.

A smaller figure stood right next to the killer, also observing the two boys.

"Sabes o que tens a fazer." (3) Ana told the figure, looking at her expectantly. The person nodded, then stared intensely at the duo.

"Tens razão. Ele está a tramar alguma." (4) A teenage girl's voice said.

"Disso eu já sabia. O que eu quero saber é o quê." (5) The killer said harshly, crossing her arms.

The younger girl tried to focus a little more.

"Vejo-o… a levar o rapaz mais pequeno para um táxi… Agora eles estão a entrar num avião… Vejo-os os dois deitados numa cama, nus… o bronzeado está sobre o mais pálido… o mais pequeno está a gritar…" (6)

"Muito bem, Adriana. Já chega." (7)

The thin girl let out na exhausted sigh, relieved for being allowed to stop visioning Alejandro's mind. Looking into another's thoughts drained all of her energy, which meant she had to practice a lot more. Ana just stared at the two once again.

"So he plans to kidnap him and rape him, does he? I don't know how he plans to get his hands on the kid, but I couldn't care less. There will be no kidnappings on my watch."

That said, she left, followed by the smaller girl, and mentally preparing herself for the fight she knew would be coming.

* * *

**Translation key:**

(1) "Go fuck yourself."

(2) Sí = yes

(3) "You know what you have to do."

(4) "You're right, He's up to something."

(5) "I had already figured that out. What I want to know is what."

(6) "I see him… taking the smaller boy to a cab… Now they're getting in a plane… I see them both lied on a bed, naked… the tanned one is over the paler one… the smaller one is screaming…"

(7) "Alright, Adriana, that's enough."


	6. Chapter 5: Preparations

**Chapter 5**

Noah approached the pool with a deep frown. 'How can he betray me like this?' he thought to himself. 'How can Cody not believe me? How can he be friends with that… that… that snake?'

He sat down on a chair and started reading his book. Or at least tried to read it. The thing was, he couldn't. He couldn't stop thinking about the argument he had with Cody. Which he found strange. They had been in that relationship for two years now, and they had never had a single argue. So why have it now? Why, after so long? It was very odd.

"Hey, Noah-it-all, why the long face? Oh wait, I forgot! You were born like that!"

Noah looked at the owner of the voice that spoke, and his eyes narrowed.

"Fuck off, Duncan, I'm not in the mood." he said, laying his eyes back in the book and trying to concentrate.

"Aww, 'wittle' nerdy is mad?" The delinquent asked in a baby talk tone. "Oh, poor 'wittle' Noah-boy." he finished with laughter, clearly enjoying mocking the smaller teen.

This time, Noah couldn't contain himself. He stood up with amazing speed and punched the criminal right on the stomach. Everything stopped. Everyone stopped to stare at the fight, their eyes wide, for they had never seen Noah being so aggressive. The tanned boy grabbed Duncan by the neck and pushed him against the wall with great force. The taller boy screamed in both surprise and pain.

"Listen here, punk! When I say I'm not in the mood, it's because _I'm not in the fucking mood_! So I'm gonna repeat one last time. Fuck. Off. Duncan!"

The delinquent was speechless. He would have never thought Noah could be so violent. It was even making him feel intimidated. They stared at each other for a minute, then Noah finally decided to let go of the dark haired boy. The nerd turned around, already heading to the chair again, leaving Duncan gasping for air.

"Why you little…" the criminal growled, standing up and getting ready to get back at Noah for attacking him.

However, a certain killer girl didn't let him. Ana stood in Duncan's way, her gun pressed right between his eyes. The delinquent froze.

"Ana, what are you doing?"

"People don't change, Duncan." she replied calmly. "That includes you. That's why I know full well that if scrawny boy over there threw you into a wall, it's because you deserved it."

Courtney narrowed her eyes at the killer. She didn't like having the girl threatening her boyfriend with a gun.

"C'mon, Duncan, fight back! I bet her gun isn't even charged!" she yelled.

Ana eyed the tanned girl from the corner of her eye, then pointed her weapon at the sky and pulled the trigger. The sound of her gun echoed loudly through the streets, yet ignored by all the neighbors, who already knew the gun lover. However, it was enough for Courtney to understand that she had just been proven wrong.

The brunette placed the weapon on the bridge of Duncan's nose once again.

"Try me, honey." she dared.

The taller girl's mouth shut close. She had finally understood that the scary young woman was unpredictable. She gulped. "Okay, it _is_ charged…"

Duncan smirked. "You can put the gun down, babe. I won't attack him."

Ana looked back at the boy with the green mohawk, then she slowly lowered it down. However, when Duncan thought their little fight was over, he felt a sharp pain right between his legs. Ana had just kicked him on the balls, and he fell to the ground in pure agony.

"Oww! What the Hell, Ana?" he screamed. "I didn't even move!"

"That was for calling me 'babe'." she said before turning to Noah. "What's wrong with you, scrawny?"

"None of your business, freaky girl!" he said rudely, which earned him a gun pointed at his forehead.

"Watch it, honey, I get pissed easily." she warned. But Noah didn't even flinch. He just stared at her straight in the eye, as if nothing was happening.

"Wanna do me a favor?" he asked, approaching her until the tip of the weapon was pressed on his forehead. "Pull the trigger."

Everyone gasped at hearing that sentence. The girl holding the gun, however, just raised an eyebrow at that.

"Please… Just pull the trigger…" Noah asked again.

But she didn't pull the trigger. In fact, she drew the gun away, putting it back in the wraps around her right thigh.

"I like ya, scrawny. You got balls." She said. "It's the first time I meet a guy and on the same day he doesn't even flinch at having a gun pointed at him. You got courage there. The problem is, you haven't let it out yet. Asking somebody to shoot you won't solve your problems. Get that in your head." She said before walking away, approaching another girl, who Noah had never seen before.

"Hey, Ana! You forgot to introduce your little sister there." Duncan yelled with a smirk, apparently already recovered from the blow his 'friend' gave him.

The killer girl looked at the others while pointing to the girl. "This is Adriana, my middle sister. Not so great at kicking ass, but we're working on it."

Everyone stared at the girl. Unlike her older sister, Adriana was very elegant and fashionable. If they saw her in the street, they would have never thought she was Ana's sister. Her long brown hair reached her shoulders, and she had a very nice smile. God, she looked the opposite of Ana: apparently harmless, nice and friendly.

LeShawna gathered some courage and approached the small girl, hoping that Ana would not shoot her for that.

"Girl, it's quite a pleasure to meet ya. Ever want to hang sometime, you can count on us for company." The black girl said with a smile. And Adriana smiled back.

"Thank you." her shy, feminine voice was heard.

Seeing that Duncan's killer friend wasn't bothered by people talking to her sister, everyone went to greet the young girl. Noah, however, just went over to say 'Hi', then went back to his seat, staring as all the other members of the cast (safe for Heather, of course) greeted the young girl and invited her to hang out with them, and that was when he noticed something. Where was Alejandro Burromuerto?

His eyes widened. If that slippery eel wasn't here where everybody was, then he could only be with…

"Cody…" he murmured before dropping his book and running over to the stairs. Noticing this, Owen looked at Izzy.

"What's wrong with him?" he asked, but all Izzy did was shrug before making a big dive into the pool again.

* * *

The know-it-all ran up the stairs as fast as he could. He hated everything that had to do with sports, but when panic took over him, he couldn't stop moving. He reached the apartment and went over to his bedroom. He opened the door only to find Cody there, sitting on their bed, all alone.

The paler brunette looked at him. "What is it now, Noah?" he asked a little harshly.

The tanned teen went over to him. "Has Alejandro been here?"

Cody didn't seem eager to answer that question.

"Answer me!" Noah yelled, which ticked Cody off even more. The blue eyed boy stood up and yelled back.

"Yes, Noah, he has! Why? You got problems with him being with me?"

"As a matter of fact, yes! I don't want him near you!" Noah yelled even louder, rage taking over him.

"You're so selfish, Noah! You're so obsessed with only having me for yourself, you won't even let me get along with anyone! Why won't you just think about how I feel about this? Don't you care about me and my social life? Are you so selfish you'll put your wishes before me?"

Silence. Noah's dark brown eyes stared at Cody's teal ones for a moment, then the nerd went over to the wardrobe, took a blanket out of it and walked over to the living room.

"Noah?" Cody called, going after him, only to find the older teen placing the blanket on the couch. "Noah, what are you doing?"

"I'm sick of this conversation, Cody. I'm sleeping on the couch tonight." he said calmly.

Cody felt his heart shatter into tiny pieces. Now Noah didn't even want to sleep with him? Didn't he realize how much that action made him feel?

"Oh yeah? Fine then! Sleep on the couch, see what I care!" he yelled one last time before darting over to his room and slamming the door right behind him.

Noah just frowned at that. 'Good riddance.' he thought to himself, going out of the apartment once more to try and calm himself down.

* * *

Ricardo cursed under his breath. If there was something he hated, it was to carry the box with the guns and put it in their stash in the basement. He inserted the code in the computer and the wall behind him opened to reveal the stash. It was a room filled with guns and ammo of all sorts, and in great quantity.

"_Ricardo, minha casa, já._"(1) Ana's voice called him through a small earphone in his right ear.

"O que é que se passa, Ana?"(2) he asked back.

"_Mexe-me esse cu! Eu explico-te quando cá estiveres! __Agora põe-te a andar!_"(3) she yelled, startling the Asian boy.

"Está bem, está bem, pronto."(4) he answered before turning it off. He sighed. He put the box on the floor and closed the vault, typing the security code once again so it would be locked. Then he shut the computer down and left, unaware that he hadn't been careful enough.

* * *

Alejandro smiled as he watched Ricardo leave. The guy was so careless he didn't notice the Mexican hiding behind one of the tables on the side, nor his cell phone, which recorded him typing the code on the computer.

After making sure Ricardo was gone, the tanned boy went over to the computer and, with the help of the video recorded with his phone, he typed in the code correctly. Soon the wall was opening again, giving him access to all the weapons Ana Carreira had.

He grabbed his empty gym bag and entered the vault. Soon enough he had four guns and a great amount of ammo inside his bag, and it was time to close the safe again. After closing the vault and shutting the computer down, he made sure he didn't leave anything behind before walking upstairs, a wicked smirk gracing his lips.

"Tonight, Cody…" he murmured. "Tonight, you'll be all mine…"

* * *

**Translation key:**

(1) "_Ricardo, my house, now._"

(2) "What's going on, Ana?"

(3) "_Move that ass! I'll explain it to you once you're here! Now move it!_"

(4) "Alright, alright, fine."


	7. Chapter 6: The kidnap part 1

**Chapter 6**

It was night. The clock showed 1:14 am.

Cody tossed and turned in his bed. No matter in what position he was, he couldn't sleep. He looked at the space next to him. Noah should be right there, sleeping next to him. Instead, he was sleeping on the living room's couch, all because of their argument. Ever since they had that little fight, they didn't speak a word to each other. The last time they spoke was when Noah had decided to sleep on the couch.

He sighed. He couldn't take it much longer. First thing in the morning, they would make up. He promised himself that.

* * *

Alejandro stood up slowly, making sure that Tyler was asleep. Since he didn't want to raise any suspicions, he didn't pack immediately, so he had to pack now. He gathered everything, his clothes, his hygiene stuff, everything. Took him only half an hour to have everything ready. He took his gym bag from under his bed and checked. Everything was set. It was time to leave. He grabbed both bags and was about to walk out of the room, when suddenly he heard someone stir and groan. He froze.

"Hey, Al." He flinched at hearing his most hated nickname.

Tyler, who had just been sleepy a few seconds before, went widely awake as he noticed that Alejandro seemed ready to leave.

"Dude, where are you going?" he asked, standing up and approaching the Mexican boy. It was then that Alejandro knew he had no choice. He couldn't stop now.

He quickly put the bags down and opened one of them, taking an object out of it. The jock's expression goes from curious to shocked as a gun was pointed at him.

"Whoa!" he let out in surprise.

"Shut up, Tyler! Don't make a sound." Alejandro ordered.

The clumsy jock complied. He tried whispering instead as he raised his hands in the air.

"Al… what are you doing?"

"Sit on the bed."

Tyler slowly backed away until he reached the bed and sat down. The darker teen grabbed a few of the brown haired boy's red pants and tied them together by the legs, making some kind of rope. The then proceeded to tie Tyler up with his hands behind his back.

"Dude, what's up with you? What do you want from me?" He asked, afraid of what plans Alejandro might have for him.

"I do not want anything from you, my friend. Cody's the one I want."

"What? What do you want with Cody?"

Alejandro immediately knew he had talked too much. But he wasn't concerned. He grabbed Tyler's headband and gagged him with it.

"You already know too much, my friend. But it doesn't matter. By the time the others find you, I'll already be far away with Cody by my side. So I'll let you live"

The jock's brown eyes widened as he realized what the tanned boy was really planning. He was going to kidnap Cody.

"Well, so long, my friend. Oh, and by the way, scream, or make any other sound that wakes anyone, and Cody will be the one to pay the consequences." he finished before leaving the room.

* * *

Alejandro smiled as he stood behind the couch, staring at a sleeping Noah.

"I guess I should thank you, my dearest rival." He whispered so he wouldn't wake him up "If it weren't for you and that arrogance of yours, I would have never managed to get you two fighting." He straightened up and sent the know-it-all one last glance before going over to Cody's room. "I hove you've said your goodbyes, Noah, because you are never seeing him again."

With that, he lightly knocked on the door.

* * *

Cody sat up with a start. Did he just hear someone knocking on his door?

Another light knock.

He stood up and ran towards the door, hoping it was Noah. He was already thinking what to say. he would apologize to Noah, tell him he loved him and that he didn't want them to be mad at each other anymore. He would try to make up with him.

He took a big breath and opened the door. And then disappointment ran through him. Right in front of him didn't stand Noah, but Alejandro.

"Oh… hey, Al." Cody greeted sadly but sweetly nonetheless. "What are you doing up so early? Are you going somewhere?" the small boy asked, noticing the two bags lying on the floor next to the Mexican's feet.

"I have to talk to you, Cody. May I?"

Wondering what Alejandro had to tell him so urgently in the middle of the night, Cody stepped aside, giving way for Alejandro. The darker boy walked in with his bags and he closed the door.

"So, what is it, Al?"

The tanned boy turned around and sent him a serious look.

"Start packing, Cody."

"Huh?"

"Start packing." he repeated.

"But why?" Cody was confused. Where were they going all of a sudden? And why in such a hurry? And why didn't Chris say anything before?

That's when the taller teen took his gun out and pointed it at the small geek. His teal eyes widened and he let out a low shriek, shocked.

"A-Al…"

Alejandro walked over to him, grabbed him by the shirt and pushed him roughly against the closet.

"Shut up and pack your things. Hurry up." the bigger boy ordered through gritted teeth.

The younger teen couldn't stop shaking, but he complied nonetheless. He started gathering all his clothes and personal belongings. He didn't understand. What had he done wrong for Al to do this? Weren't they friends?

He finished packing, and Alejandro approached him again, leaning over him to whisper on his ear, still with the weapon pointed at the scared boy's stomach.

"I'm leaving this dumb show, Cody. I'm sick of having Chris torture me. But I won't go empty handed. I'm taking you and the million dollars with me."

"But… w-why me?"

"You'll know soon enough. For now, grab your bag and come. We have a long trip to make."

Cody bit back tears. He didn't want to go. Oh, how he wished he had apologized to Noah last night and be in his arms once again.

"P-please, Alejandro… don't do this…"

The taller boy pressed his gun further against Cody's stomach, making him shiver with fear.

"Hurry up, Cody."

The younger boy was already sobbing as he picked up his bag."

"And another thing." Alejandro talked once again. "Noah is sleeping on the couch. If he, by any chance, wakes up, I'll shoot him right on the head. You got that?"

Cody's teal eyes widened and he shook his head in panic.

"No… Please, Alejandro, don't kill him! I won't make a sound, I promise." he whispered. He didn't want anyone to die because of him. Especially not Noah.

Alejandro smiled. "Good." He grabbed Cody roughly by the upper arm and dragged him behind him.

* * *

Tyler had managed to jump out of bed and crawl to the door. However, he didn't get out yet. No, for the moment, he would wait until Al and Cody were out of the door, and when that happened, he would wake Noah as soon as he could.

He could wake Noah before they left, but it was too risky. He didn't want to endanger Cody's life. So all he could do was wait and strike when the time was right. fortunately for him, Alejandro didn't close the door well enough, so he managed to open it a little and peek through it, and he would be able to see when they were gone.

"Al… you're hurting me…" he heard Cody complain lowly.

"Shut up, Cody!" Alejandro replied back in an angered whisper.

The jock watched as the two other boys walked towards the door, and couldn't help but feel sorry for the young geek. Tears were falling from his blue eyes and running down his pale cheeks as he was dragged out of the apartment. At this moment, Tyler knew he had to stick to his plan carefully if he wanted to save Cody in time.

The apartment's door shut. This was his chance. It was now or never.

* * *

Alejandro led the smaller boy downstairs and to the front gate, where a black and green cab was waiting for them.

"Al… at least tell me where we're going…" Cody asked. Maybe if he got the other boy to tell him, he would be able to alert the authorities and they would rescue him.

"you'll see when we get there." was the answer he received. Well, so much for that theory.

The Mexican grabbed their bags and started putting them in the car's trunk one by one.

A feeling of dread ran through Cody. He wouldn't see Noah ever again, and he didn't even have the chance to say goodbye. In fact, the last words traded between them were the ones they had in their argument. Cody couldn't take it. He buried his face in his hands and cried his heart out.

He wanted to hear his boyfriend's voice, just one last time. Just one.

"Cody!"

* * *

Since Alejandro didn't close the door well, it was easy for Tyler to sneak through even though he was all tied up. He managed to slip through it and immediately spotted the know-it-all sleeping heavily on the couch.

He tried to scream, but his muffled sounds only resulted in a light stir from Noah.

The jock was starting to panic. They were running out of time. He had to do something or it would be too late. He crawled on the floor as fast as he could, trying to reach Noah, bumping on a vase in the process. The vase fell and shattered into a million pieces, which made Noah wake up with a start.

"Wha-wha?" the nerd rubbed his eyes and looked at Tyler, soon his expression turning from sleepy to utterly confused. "Okay, I'm not even going to ask." ha said as he stood up, approached the clumsy jock and started untying him. Tyler screamed and screamed, apparently in a hurry, but Noah just shrugged, thinking that maybe he just wanted to go to the bathroom or something.

The crash and Tyler's screams woke every boy in the apartment up, and everyone came in the living room to see what was going on. As soon as Duncan saw Tyler all tied up in his own pants, he started laughing out loudly.

"Ha ha! don't tell me, you tried taking off your pants!" he laughed even harder at saying that. Harold and Owen joined him, and even Noah chuckled a little..

The jock, however, ignored the comment completely and kept on trying to warn Noah. The nerd, already tired of the boy's muffled screams, took his gag off. Finally!

"Alejandro's running away!" he yelled as soon as the gag was off. "He's taking Cody with him!"

Noah froze, his eyes wide.

"What?"

"Alejandro! He's forcing Cody to run away with him!

Brown eyes stared at Tyler for a moment, filled with disbelief. Noah stood up and ran to his room, Duncan and DJ following right behind. Empty. Cody's clothes, his personal objects, his bag… they were all gone.

"N-no… Cody!" the tanned nerd instantly ran out of the apartment and down the stairs. The other boys followed, some going to wake the girls, others going to wake Chris, while Harold stayed untying Tyler.

Noah, however, didn't wait for them. He tried taking a shortcut through the house, getting out from the front door, and as soon as he opened that door, he spotted him.

Cody was outside the gate, standing next to a green and black cab, his face buried in his hands as he cried, while Alejandro was just putting the last bag in the trunk, closing it once he was finished. Noah could see Cody was willing to go. He was being forced.

"Cody!" he screamed, running to the front gate as fast as he could.

The pale geek's face left his hands to look at who was calling him. Teary teal eyes started shining with pure happiness as soon as they spotted him.

"Noah…"

"Mierda!" (1) Alejandro cursed when he spotted Noah as well., and wasted no time wrapping an arm around Cody's chest, which earned him a loud, frightened scream from the boy.

"Let go of him!" Noah screamed. But the Mexican boy, instead of complying, just pointed the gun at the nerd and pulled the trigger. The bullet went right through Noah's shoulder, making the tanned nerd scream in pain and fall to the ground.

"NOAH!" Cody screamed in panic. He wanted to help his boyfriend. He couldn't let Alejandro kill him. And that's when he lost it. He struggled in the other boy's grip, trying to get him, to release him. He tried to punch him, he tried to kick him, completely forgetting that Alejandro was armed.

"Son of a bitch! You said you wouldn't hurt him! Liar!"

Alejandro didn't have time for this. He grabbed Cody tightly by the shirt and threw him into the back seat of the cab roughly, following close behind, and the driver stepped on it.

"No! Cody!" Noah stood up, his shoulder aching like Hell when he did, and opened the front gate. He reached the street just in time to see the cab turn the corner with great speed.

The know-it-all lost it. He started running after the cab, although he knew full well that he would never catch it. He tried to run, but the huge amount of pain in his chest and the blood loss were getting the better of him, and it didn't take long for him to collapse, falling on the hard concrete, losing his senses right after hearing Bridgette's voice calling his name in panic.

* * *

Crying. It was the only thing Cody could do at that moment. He was terrified. What did Alejandro want with him? Why was he doing this?

The driver was apprehensive as well, shivering as he drove. Well, you would too, if you had a maniac with a gun on the back seat of your car.

"Te aviso, yo hablo Español. Todo lo que digas, yo lo entederé. Está claro?" (2) Alejandro warned the man in Spanish, knowing that it was very similar to Portuguese.

The driver nodded, breathing quickly in complete fear.

"Ahora, para el aeropuerto! Date priesa!" (3)

"S-sim, claro…" (4) the driver replied in Portuguese.

Alejandro slowly withdrew the gun and focused on Cody once again.

The young brunette was still crying, fearing for his life.

"Open your mouth, Cody."

His teal eyes widened. He didn't want to do it.

"Open it!" The tanned boy yelled, pointing the gun at the smaller one.

Cody had no choice but to comply. He was too scared of what Alejandro would do if he didn't. So he parted his delicate lips, only to have the tip of the gun inserted in his mouth. The poor geek started crying louder as the taste of metal and gunpowder filled his mouth.

'He's going to kill me! He's going to kill me!' was the first thought that reached his mind. He didn't want to die. He did not want to die.

Suddenly, he felt Alejandro's large hand run up his thigh, and his teal eyes widened. 'What is he doing?'

"I'm going to take the gun out of your mouth, and you're gonna keep it open. Understood?" Alejandro's eyes stared intensely at Cody's blue ones, an evil glint in them as they watched the boy cry with the purest of fears.

Cody nodded slowly. he didn't even try to figure out what the darker boy was going to do next. He just wanted the gun out of his mouth.

Eventually Alejandro took the weapon from between the frightened boy's lips, and Cody felt relief run through his veins. He felt a lot more comfortable without the gun in his mouth.

However, that comfort soon turned into panic as Alejandro took his parted lips with his own tanned ones. And as if that wasn't enough, while the Mexican teen kissed him, Cody felt a freezing hand sneaking its way into his yellow shirt. His blue irises shook in fear and shock.

So that's what Alejandro wanted from him.

The cold hand slowly ran up his side, tickling it, but not in a good way. Alejandro's snake-like tongue explored Cody's mouth, tasting the inside of the warm and wet cavern.

By this time, the paler boy's eyes were once again filled with tears. Alejandro's actions were making him feel strange, wrong, dirty… He felt like a fool and a slut. He didn't want this. He just wanted to be with Noah.

He started screaming loudly into the kiss when the large cold hand left his upper side to head downwards. It went inside his pants and started rubbing his sensitive part.

Cody couldn't let him do this, even if Al had a gun. He slapped the stronger male hard, surprising him and successfully stopping him from keeping on with his assault. Then he backed away against the door, trying to get as far away from Alejandro as possible.

"You p-pervert… How can you do this to me?…" he asked, half in anger, half in fear.

After recovering from the shock of having Cody fight back, Alejandro slowly leaned closer and closer to him, their faces becoming inches apart. They stayed like that for a moment, then in a swift move Alejandro's hand wrapped around Cody's neck tightly.

"Sooner or later you'll give in Cody. I know you will. But let me warn you, do what you just did again, and I'll beat you into a crying pulp. I plan to make you mine, and that's exactly what will happen!" he yelled, frightening the boy even more, before grabbing him by the wrists and resuming kissing and assaulting him.

* * *

The cab stopped abruptly, putting an end to Alejandro's fun.

"What's going on?" he yelled at the driver.

"Hum… Senhor?… Está uma mulher no caminho, e…" he hesitated for a moment. "Ela está armada." (5)

Alejandro looked at the person who happened to be in his way, and his eyes narrowed.

Right there, in the middle of the road, and with a gun held tightly in each of her hands, stood Ana Carreira.

"Shit." he cursed, grabbing Cody by the upper arm and dragging him outside.

"Oww, Al, you're hurting me…"

"Shut the fuck up, Cody!" Alejandro yelled back, shutting the boy up completely. Once they were outside, the tanned boy put an arm around the smaller one's torso, keeping him from going anywhere, and his gun firmly pressed against his temple as they approached the deadly girl.

"Let us through, Ana, or Cody dies!"

* * *

**Translation key:**

(1) "Shit!"

(2) "I'm warning you, I speak Spanish. Whatever you say, I'll understand it. Is that clear?"

(3) "Now, to the airport! Hurry up!"

(4)"Y-yes, of course…"

(5) "Hum… Mister?… There's a woman in the way, and… She's armed."


	8. Chapter 7: The kidnap part 2

**Chapter 7**

Cody sobbed loudly. 'Please, let this just be a nightmare… Please…' he thought to himself. He didn't like having the gun pressed against his temple. It made him feel very nervous.

"P-Please, Al… Stop this…" he begged.

"I already told you to shut up, Cody!" Alejandro whispered back through gritted teeth, then looked back at the Portuguese killer. "Step aside, Ana, unless you want me to kill him."

She just raised an eyebrow. The Mexican boy tried to read her mind, but he couldn't. That girl was completely unpredictable.

"Well? I'm waiting." she said calmly.

"W-What?" Alejandro asked, confused.

"Didn't you say you'd shoot Cody if I didn't step aside? Well, I didn't did I? So why didn't I hear a 'bang' yet?" she asked once again.

Yup. Un-pre-dict-able.

Alejandro didn't know what to do. He wasn't expecting Ana to actually dare him to shoot Cody. She wasn't supposed to dare him. But now that she did, he didn't know what to do. If he didn't shoot Cody, Ana would most definitely see he was just bluffing.

But he couldn't possibly shoot Cody. He loved him. He couldn't kill him.

"Your breathing quickened." he heard Ana's voice once again. "And you're sweating. Bluffing is a bitch when it backfires, isn't it?" she asked, her face as indifferent as it was when this talk started.

"I'm not bluffing! I'll do it!" The darker boy screamed, pressing his weapon further against Cody's temple, making the smaller boy more and more terrified.

"No! Please, don't do it!" Cody screamed in panic.

"Not bluffing, huh? Then go ahead. Pull the trigger." Ana dared again.

Once again, silence filled the air, safe for Cody's sobs.

"P-Please, Al… I beg you… don't do it…" the scared boy murmured.

But Alejandro ignored him completely. He just stared at his obstacle. Ana stared back with crossed arms, obviously amused by the tanned boy's hesitations. But she had a trick up her sleeve. Unaware to Alejandro, two girls and a wolf were approaching him from behind. Ana was just a decoy for the others to step in.

Suddenly, Alejandro felt a strong arm wrap around his neck tightly, which surprised him enough to let go of his hostage. Cody was pulled away from his grasp, and the kidnapper turn his head to the side just in time to see none other than Adriana leading Cody away.

And then he noticed something. Cody was actually going willingly. He did not think twice before running away with Adriana. And that fact hurt. It hurt a lot to know that Cody preferred to leave him rather than stay by his side.

But he had to be strong. He had to stick to his plan, regardless of this sudden interruption.

He fought back against the person who was holding him, jabbing her on the ribs and making her let go of him. Then he turned around and pointed his weapon at her. It was Tahira.

Alejandro pulled the trigger, but not fast enough. Ana reached him in time, delivering a kick under his arm, making him shoot at the cloudy sky instead of at her partner. Then, before the Mexican boy knew it, she delivered a hard punch to his stomach, sending him ten feet back. He felt as if his bones had suddenly shattered, and he felt sick from having his stomach punched so harshly. The killer sure had a mean right hook. He had never thought she would be so strong. But every hero has a weakness, and fortunately for Alejandro, he knew hers: her family. Now all he had to do was find a way to use it.

He stood up and started shooting at her, hoping that it would at least slow her down. But he missed all the shots. Ana wasn't only and expert in using guns, she was an expert in dodging her enemies' shots as well. She was fast enough to easily avoid any bullet. Which she did. She managed to avoid every bullet sent by Alejandro and approach him in the process.

This was not good. She was getting dangerously close. But then Alejandro heard a growl behind him, and instantly knew that Tahira's wolf Bane was going to strike him from behind.

Perfect. Now he just had to find the right timing.

Ana took her knife out of her leg, Bane jumped, and Alejandro smirked. Just when the two were about to hit him, he threw himself at the ground. Ana missed the blow she was planning to deliver on his stomach and ended up with Bane pinning her to the ground, her back falling on the dirt. Her red cap fell from her head, releasing her long, wavy brown hair.

"Bane, off!" she yelled, not wanting to be vulnerable for too long.

The tanned boy looked at Cody. He was standing at Adriana's side, watching the fight. Good. This way he wouldn't hurt him.

"Better hurry, Ana. Wouldn't like your sister to be wounded, would you?" Alejandro asked mockingly before pointing the gun at Adriana and pulling the trigger.

Ana's eyes widened. "NO!" she screamed before pushing Bane off her and immediately run towards her sister.

Everything started slowing down at Ana's eyes. The others' movements, the small drops of the slight rain that had started falling, the lightning in the horizon, and the bullet heading straight to her younger sister.

The female killer knew she had to choice. She was fast enough to dodge a bullet, but neither Adriana nor Cody were. And she wouldn't reach them in time to push them away. So she had to other choice. She sped past the bullet and stood on its way, keeping it from continuing its course.

She felt a sharp pain in her stomach, all breath was taken away from her. She looked down to see drops of red liquid squirt out of her and falling on the floor, staining it. Her legs started feeling weak, soon giving out and forcing her to kneel. Her own blood started coming out through her throat, and she clutched her stomach in an instinctive action.

A scream was heard, but not from her.

"ANA!" Adriana's eyes widened with fear and shock as she saw her older sister fall to the ground. Cody, Tahira and Bane froze in their spots as well, not knowing what to do. Alejandro took his cue. He immediately started running towards his wounded enemy, and as soon as he got to her, he kicked her on the side, making her roll over and lie on her back. Drops of blood gushed out of her mouth and roll from her cheeks to her neck.

The Mexican teen pressed the weapon against Ana's forehead with a triumphant smile, which earned him a hard, threatening stare from her.

"One of the biggest killers in Europe, losing to a guy that has never grabbed a gun before… How does the shame feel, Ana? Does it burn?" he chuckled.

"Come on. Pull the trigger." Ana ordered, her gaze suddenly amused, yet nothing but hate showing on her lips.

Now Alejandro knew why she had said it.

"If I killed you, your creepy friends wouldn't have a reason to stay in their spots. They would just get to me and take me away from my precious little doll. But I won't let that happen. I've been through too much trouble to get him, and I'm not backing away on this." he said in a determined tone, then looked at Cody with a smile. "Cody, do you really want her to die because of you? After all, she came here to rescue you."

The geek's teal eyes widened. He didn't want anyone to die because of him. He would never forgive himself.

Alejandro kept smiling at him.

"You wanna save her, Cody? Then come here."

Cody swallowed hard and was ready to approach them, but was stopped by Adriana pulling him by the shirt. "No, Cody! You can't!" she said. If Cody went back into Alejandro's grip, then the fight would have been in vain. But in the other hand, if she didn't let Cody go with the Mexican boy, her sister would most certainly die. Oh, what should she do?

She felt a small, trembling hand on her shoulder and saw a very nervous, yet smiling Cody.

"Thanks for trying to save me, but Ana is the one that needs help now…"

"Don't you dare taking one step, Cody! I'll kill you myself if you do!" The wounded killer growled at him, which made Alejandro press the gun further against her forehead.

"You're asking me to pull the trigger!" he warned.

"Don't!" he looked back at the smaller boy. "I'm going…" Cody said lowly, approaching them.

As he did, Alejandro looked back at Ana with a victorious smirk on his face.

"Filho da puta!"(1) she growled at the boy on top of her. His smile didn't leave his face.

"Call me whatever you want. I win." he replied before standing up and grabbing Cody roughly by the arm once again. Cody could help wincing in pain as his kidnapper dragged him back to the cab, and once they were inside, the car sped away from the crew.

Tahira, Bane and Adriana immediately went to aid their leader.

"S-stop them!…" she ordered, already starting to lose consciousness.

"Ana, you're hurt! We have to take you to the hospital."

"To Hell with me…We can't let him take Cody… we can't …" those were Ana's last words until darkness finally consumed her.

* * *

Here he was again, sitting on the cab's back seat, next to an armed Mexican kidnapper. Cody' whole body shivered as he stared at Alejandro. The tanned boy's eyes wouldn't stop admiring him from head to toe, which didn't make him feel any better. In fact, it only made him feel wrong, filthy, whorish… Every bad feeling was caused by that stare.

"Sit on my lap, Cody."

His eyes widened. What was he up to now?

"Sit." The tanned boy ordered calmly, yet sternly, and before Cody knew it, fear had taken over him and he was sitting on the bigger male's lap. "That's better." Alejandro said with a smile before running his hand up Cody's thigh. The small geek felt a shiver run up his spine. "You have beautiful legs, Cody, you know that?"

No answer. Alejandro pulled Cody close until he could press his tanned nose to his neck. The Mexican boy took a deep breath, inhaling the other's scent. "And you smell very good. Do you imagine how much your sweet scent attracts me?"

Hearing all these praises just made him want to throw up. It was clear what Alejandro wanted, and he didn't like to imagine the details of his desires. Tears were already forming in his eyes, and he had even started sobbing when he felt the other's hands go inside his shirt again, caressing his body as if it was his property, when it all belonged to Noah. The large hands travelled everywhere: around his waist, his abdomen, his chest, his shoulders, his back, leaving a trail of Alejandro's scent all over Cody's body. His lips were captured in a kiss, Al's tongue entering his mouth and exploring it all over, and he whimpered. He didn't want this.

'Noah…' he thought to himself. 'I'm sorry…'

* * *

Ricardo stuck out his tongue as he worked on the tracer. It was his and the twins' mission: to put a tracer in the plane, while Ana, Tahira, Bane and Adriana bought them some time. Of course that they would do their best to completely capture Alejandro, but in case they failed, they would be able to track him down.

Patricia and Marco yawned with boredom. "Oh come on, Ricardo, how long does it take you?" The girl asked.

The Asian boy suddenly felt annoyed. "Hey, this isn't as easy as it looks, you little game-addicted brats!" he said, looking at the two 10-year-olds only to see them playing on their PSPs.

"Oh, I'm sorry, what were you saying?" Marco asked, pure honesty in his voice, clearly showing he hadn't listened. Ricardo sighed. "Whatever." he muttered before resuming his work on the tracer. He had just finished when he suddenly heard a car approaching the plane.

"Merda! Ele já cá está!" The young Asian exclaimed. His work was almost done, just a little more wiring. He finished it in time, but not enough time to leave without being caught. So he did what he could do best: hide. He grabbed the two twins and hid behind the crates.

They heard someone slamming the door of the car, someone whimpering and begging as the individuals approached the plane.

Everything was clear to him as he recognized the voices of the two. Ana and the rest of the crew had failed.

* * *

Alejandro dragged Cody roughly into the plane. Since they didn't have any stairs available, they had to go in through the cargo hold. They would have to go there anyway to leave their luggage, so there was no time wasted.

"Al, this is madness… You gotta stop it…" Cody kept on begging. Alejandro was already sick of this. He was going through with this, was it that hard to understand?

He put his bag down and grabbed the smaller boy by the shoulders. "I am not backing down on this, Cody. No matter what you say, I'm going through with this."

"But you can't, Alejandro! You're taking me away from my friends, from my family and from Noah! Why do you insist on taking me away from that?"

Ricardo and the twins listened carefully to what the two teens were saying.

"Because you have an undeserving boyfriend, Cody. You're too good for him. And I can't just stand there with my arms crossed, watching as such an undeserving prick dates such a nice boy like you."

Cody's eyes widened. "You took me away because you hate Noah… How could you?" he yelled, trying to get away from Alejandro's grasp. Unfortunately, the taller boy was much stronger than him.

Of course, the Mexican boy was starting to lose his patience. "Cody, we are running out of time-"

"I am not going anywhere with you, you ugly son of a bitch! I'm leaving this plane! You can take the damn million dollars, I don't care! I hate you, and regret with all my heart having trusted you! Noah was right! You're nothing more than a slippery eel covered in grease swimming in motor oil!"

A sound echoed in the cargo hold, a sound of an action that interrupted the poor geek. It was the sound of a hand making contact with a cheek, followed by the sound of a body hitting the floor.

Alejandro had slapped Cody so hard he fell on the floor with a hard thud, eyes wide with shock. Slowly he reaching for his own cheek, feeling a burning sensation on it, then looked up at Alejandro. "You… just hit me…" he said, still in shock. And before he could even move, the tanned boy grabbed him and carried him over his shoulder, going over to the door leading to economy class.

"No! Let me go! You can't do this!" Cody screamed, trying unsuccessfully to make his kidnapper drop him as he was taken away.

Once they were gone, Ricardo immediately went to the emergency door they used to get it, but he couldn't open it.

"Damn it, it's locked! We'll have to use the other door!" he said. But he knew they had to be careful. If Alejandro spotted them, then it would be a failed mission.

* * *

"Let go of me, Al! I said let go!" Cody kept yelling and yelling, trying to break free from the Mexican boy's grasp.

Alejandro approached the door to Chris's suite and roughly threw Cody inside. The poor geek fell on his side and winced in pain.

"How can you be so mean? How can you take me away from my boyfriend and my friends?"

Alejandro replied as he slowly grabbed the key of the door. "I already told you, Cody, Noah doesn't deserve you, and I am not letting him have you knowing he doesn't deserve it."

"Who cares if he deserves it or not? I love him and he loves me back! Isn't that enough for you?" Cody screamed, tears falling from his eyes again.

The tanned boy turned around, turning his back to Cody. "I hope you said your goodbyes, Cody, because you will never see him again." with that, he calmly closed the door and locked it, keeping the distressed geek from getting out of the room.

"NO!" Cody screamed, instantly getting up and turning the knob. It didn't work. He was locked in. "No! Let me out! You can't do this, Alejandro! Don't do this to me! Let me go!" he kept on screaming as he continued trying to open the door. When it didn't budge, he started knocking on it with all his strength. "You can't keep me here, Alejandro! Let me out!"

* * *

The kidnapper stood in front of the locked door in silence while Cody's panicked voice begged from the other side for him to let him out.

And then the screams stopped. The younger brunette had apparently figured out that Alejandro would not let him go, no matter how much he screamed, and opted to cry in despair instead. This, of course, made Alejandro's heart almost shatter. He hated hearing Cody cry.

"Please…" Cody begged again, this time between sobs. "Open the door…"

The tanned boy could see that Cody was losing all his hope. But he couldn't stop now, not when he had gotten this far. He had to go forward with his plan.

He stepped away from the door and walked towards the cockpit. It was time to go.

* * *

Ricardo waited patiently, watching Alejandro stand in front of the room he locked Cody in. Few moments passed and the strong Latino teen headed over to the cockpit. Now was their chance.

Followed by the two ten-year-olds, the Asian boy started heading to the exit. But when they reached half their way, they started feeling the plane shake and froze. How did the guy even manage to turn it on so fast?

The plane started shaking more and more, and Ricardo knew it was now or never. He opened the door to the exit and gasped. They were already going pretty fast.

"Okay, Patrícia, Marco, jump after me!" he ordered and jumped off the plane. He had quite a painful landing, but fortunately nothing was broken. "Jump!" he screamed at the twins.

The two prepared to jump as well, but the planed suddenly increased in speed. It was already going so fast they even lost balance and fell back into the plane. Now it was impossible to jump out of it.

* * *

Cody had lost all hope. Alejandro wasn't going to let him out, and if Ana, one of the best killers in the world, hadn't been able to help him, then no one was.

The airplane came to life. He couldn't hear the engines working, but he could feel the slight trembling of the plane as they did. He shut his eyes tightly, letting another set of tears run down his soft, pale cheeks.

"Noah…" he whispered. "Forgive me…"

The plane's speed increased. Everything shook more and more, and at some point Cody felt a slight pressure on his body. He held on tight and entered another crying fit.

"Forgive me…"

* * *

Ricardo stared as the plane lifted off the ground and rapidly disappeared in the dark sky. The twins hadn't jumped. Now not only was Cody in the hands of a possibly dangerous man, but so were Ana's younger siblings.

"Oh boy…" he muttered, scratching behind his neck. "Ana is gonna kill me…"

* * *

**Translation Key:**

(1) "Son of a bitch!"

(2) "Shit! He's already here!"


	9. Chapter 8: Anger and Fear

**Chapter 8**

Noah woke up with a huge headache, as if his head was on fire. He tried to open his eyes, but groaned as a strong light hit them. He waited until his eyes grew accustomed to the bright light, then proceeded to open them.

He could clearly see he was in a hospital. The bright light, the white walls, a window on the wall on his left and a curtain on his right, right next to the mattress he was lying on. Beeping could be heard from a machine on his left.

He was confused. What had happened? Why was he in the hospital? And why did his shoulder hurt so much? His eyes widened as flashes of what happened flashed in front of him: his abrupt wake up call, a tied up Tyler, the empty room, the chase, seeing Cody cry, being shot on the shoulder, and finally, Alejandro throwing Cody in the car while the small boy screamed, then the car speeding away. He sat up quickly, ignoring the almost unbearable pain in his shoulder.

"Cody!" he yelled.

His screaming immediately alerted the doctors at the hospital. They all came in the room, asking questions like "Como se sente?"(1) or "Dói-lhe alguma coisa?"(2). But he didn't even try to understand what they were asking. Instead, he himself started asking one thing and one thing only. "Where's Cody?"

The doctors asked him the same questions and even more, but the answer was always the same. "Where is Cody? Where is he? Where is Cody?"

This, of course, eventually made them give up and opt by calling Chris McClean.

Only a few minutes passed until not only Chris, but the entire crew came in the room. LeShawna was the first one to greet him.

"How ya doin', turkey?" she asked with a smile.

But Noah didn't smile back. He just stared her straight in the eye, and asked exactly the same question he had asked the doctors. "Where's Cody?"

Everyone grew pale and looked at each other hesitantly. Apparently no one wanted to tell him of Cody's whereabouts.

"Answer me!" The tanned boy yelled, startling them. Gwen was the one who finally answered him.

"He's not here, Noah… Alejandro took him away…" she said. Her answer was a confirmation of Noah's fears. It wasn't a nightmare. Cody had really been taken away. "He took him into the plane…" she continued, watching as Noah stood up from his mattress and went over to the window. "They lifted off last night, along with the million dollars… We don't know where they're going… or if Cody's okay."

Gwen stopped talking when she heard a sob.

Noah had his back turned to them, looking out the window and watching as rain poured heavily over the city of Portimão. The hospital was placed far enough from the city so the patients wouldn't have to be bothered by the noise, and from Noah's window, he could see the entire city.

The dark clouds over it turned it all grey, unlike the bright colors it used to have when they arrived. The heavy rain could be heard against the window.

It was a sad sight that went along this sad moment.

Tears ran down Noah's cheeks, and another sob was heard. He didn't usually cry. In fact, it was very rare of him to cry out of something other than physical pain. But that day he was feeling a much worse pain, the worst he had ever felt.

The pain inside his heart. The pain of not knowing if Cody, the person he cared about the most, was okay. And more importantly, the pain of guilt, of knowing that had he been more careful, he would have been able to stop this tragedy. "No… Not my Cody…"

He felt two hands on his shoulders, and peeked through the corner of his eye to see Bridgette.

"We'll find them, Noah. I'm sure Ana and her crew will help us get Cody back." she said.

But Noah didn't believe a single word. He looked out the window once again. 'Cody…' he thought to himself. 'I'm sorry…'

* * *

Alejandro watched as they flew over the clouds. It was the beautiful sight of a fluffy white blanket with no end. I was a sight that would make anyone feel good.

But that was not how he was feeling. Because deep inside, he knew that what he was doing was wrong.

He had taken Cody away against his will and locked him in a room. He had pointed a weapon at him and forced him to come with him, using the boy's fear to his advantage. Were he caught, all these facts would send him to jail for a long time, and he was aware of that. And if he was sent to jail, he would never see Cody again.

So the solution was simple: he couldn't be caught.

"_Auto-pilot activated._" He heard the mechanical voice announce when he hit a specific button.

"Finally…" he sighed. It had taken him a while, but he knew that Chris and Chef had to have an auto-pilot. How else would they be able to be in every elimination without driving the plane? It would be impossible.

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. What Chris and Chef did was not important. What mattered at the moment was that he had finally managed to turn the auto-pilot on, and now he could spend most of his time with his beloved Cody.

He stood up and calmly walked out of the cockpit, passing by first class and heading to the room the other teen was locked in.

* * *

The whole plane was silent. Dead silent. Everybody was left behind, save for him and the small brunette he had kidnapped. He did, however, hear sounds coming from Chris's room, and after a while he managed to identify them.

Crying.

Cody was still crying in there, and hearing his sobs made Alejandro feel his heart shatter. It was his fault that Cody was crying, and he knew it. But he also knew that backing away wouldn't turn out good for him. He would just have to forget about the past and think of the future. And he had lots of plans for the future.

He took a key out of his pocket and inserted it in the door's keyhole. It fit perfectly, and with a twist of it, the door was unlocked, ready to give way for him. He entered the room and locked the door again.

He found Cody sitting on Chris's bed, crying loudly. Apparently the boy was thinking about something, for he hadn't yet noticed Alejandro's presence.

The tanned boy slowly approached the bed. It hurt him to see his beloved like this, so sad and miserable, and he just wished to comfort him, to make him happier. He sat on the bed, next to the geek, and that was when Cody finally lifted his head and looked his kidnapper straight in the eye. He found himself staring at teal colored irises, and he felt himself drown in sorrow as he could see they held nothing but sadness and fear. Fear of him. More fat tears ran down Cody's cheeks.

"S-shouldn't you… be steering t-the p-plane?" the boy asked.

"Do not worry, _chico guapo_. I managed to turn on the auto-pilot. Now I can spend my whole time here with you." Alejandro, placing a strong hand on Cody's thigh, rubbing it gently, hoping it would make the other boy calm down. Unfortunately, it only made him feel even more uncomfortable. When Cody tried to pry his hand away, Alejandro knew it had been the wrong way to approach him, yet he wouldn't give up. He decided to try another tactic. He held the boy's pale hand and lifted it so that tanned lips would kiss it's back. He felt the boy shiver, but ignored it.

"Don't feel bad, my little flower." His Mexican accent echoed in the room as he kept on trying to soothe the boy. "There's nothing to be ashamed of. We are absolutely perfect for each other." He placed his lips on Cody's hand again. "I can give you all the pleasure in the world."

When he said 'pleasure', he actually meant the pleasures of rich food, a luxurious house, a life with no concerns or worries. A perfect life.

However, Cody understood it differently. In his mind, the synonym for 'pleasure' was 'sex'. His tearful teal colored eyes widened, and he took his hand away from the other boy. Then he stood up quickly, facing the taller male and backing away, slowly approaching the door.

Alejandro didn't move, realizing that he should have used better words to express what he meant. He sent Cody a smile, hoping that it would make him see there were no evil intents on his mind, yet noticing that he was failing badly, for Cody only got further away from him. His smile widened even more, faking the sorrow behind tanned lips, when the tech geek reached the door and desperately tried to open it, only to find out it was locked.

"There's no point in trying to escape, Cody." He said, standing up and approaching the brunette once more. Said brunette had resumed his crying, his head down in defeat.

"Please… let me… let me go…" The boy begged between loud sobs. But Alejandro just crossed his arms.

"I'm sorry, Cody, but I have been through too much trouble to get you. I cannot let you go."

Cody turned around, more and more tears rolling down his already tear stained face.

"P-please… I beg you…"

The taller boy shook his head slowly.

"No. I won't ever let you go."

Cody's expression was one of desperation. "Why? Why did you kidnap me? Can't you see I'm not happy with this? Just take me back to Noah!" he yelled.

The Mexican boy grabbed the short geek by the upper arms and pressed him against the door.

"There is no way I am returning you to him. You deserve much better. I can give you everything, Cody. Great food, a huge house, a job of your choice, money, happiness… I can give you all that, Cody!" Alejandro replied, finally letting out what he truly meant by 'pleasures'.

"I don't want any of that, Al! I don't care if I end up eating lousy food, with a small house and poor! All I want is Noah! I want to be with Noah!" Cody continued.

"Well tough luck, because I am not taking you back to him! Do you imagine the trouble I've been through to separate you two? I'm not letting it all in vain!" Alejandro yelled without thinking, only realizing what he said after he said it.

Cody stared at him in disbelief. "S-Separate us? You mean… you had it all planed? You broke us up on purpose?" he asked, only to receive a guilty look from the other, and finally realized something. "Oh my gosh… Noah was right… You _were_ sniffing my clothes! And he was protecting me and I turned my back to him, thinking you were a good guy! How could you?" The small brunette yelled at the other again.

"Because I couldn't stand it, Cody! He doesn't deserve you. I couldn't just stand there with my arms crossed while I watched you dating such an annoying prick like Noah!"

"You son of a bitch! You're taking me away from my boyfriend because of your jealousy!" Cody threw himself at the taller boy, trying to hit him, enraged tears falling from his eyes. "You're tearing my happiness away just to follow your selfish needs! Noah was right! You're nothing but a slippery eel, dipped in grease, swimming in motor oil! I hate you! I hate you!" the small geek continued yelling, hitting Alejandro's chest with his small fists, while tears poured from his eyes to the floor. The rage he was feeling was huge.

But then Alejandro lost it. Cody could only gasp as the tanned teen delivered a hard slap to his left cheek, then another to his right, the second hit throwing the boy at the floor. The small geek looked up at the other in pure fear, realizing that he had been playing with fire.

Alejandro glared down at Cody, his eyes holding something that make the gap-toothed boy's fear rise. Evil, wrath… and lust. Great lust. The small geek shivered. That look scared him to no end. What plans were hidden behind that look?

The Mexican grabbed him roughly by the arms, hurting him, and threw him onto Chris's bed. Then he forced Cody's legs apart, placing his own hips between them, their crotches pressed against each other, and took hold of the boy's thin wrists with his large, strong hands. Cody whimpered. He wasn't comfortable in such a compromising position. If the bigger male wanted to have his way with him, he wouldn't be able to defend himself.

"Listen here, Cody. I'm tired of this game." Alejandro's voice went from relaxed and lovely to calm, yet very much threatening. It all frightened Cody even more. "I took you away for a reason besides not liking Noah. I brought you with me because I want you, and like it or not, you'll be giving me what I want, even if I have to tie you up and make you bleed between your legs. From the moment you and Noah fell in my trap, you belonged to me, and you still do. Now, to make you officially mine, I must claim your body, and you better get in your head that sooner or later, I _will_ have you. And all you can do is lie there silently and take it. I plan to make love to you, and that is exactly what will happen!" he yelled.

At this time Cody was once again sobbing loudly, tears pouring out of his eyes and wetting the silky sheets beneath him as he stared up at his assaulter.

"Of course, now is not the time. You still carry his smell, and I can't stand making love to you with the scent of another man. But don't worry, soon it will fade, and when that happens, you'll find yourself beneath me with those beautiful legs spread apart." Alejandro was no longer thinking before speaking. He had lost all his patience, and if Cody didn't want to do it the easy way, then he had no choice but to do it the hard way.

Alejandro's words hurt like knives. Cody cried even louder as every word reached him: _want you… belong to me… make love to you… legs spread apart. _Every word hurt more than the last. They made him feel like a slut, a filthy whore who preferred to trust someone he didn't know rather than his boyfriend. More tears ran down his cheeks.

"I see you're letting it all sink in. Better hurry with that, because soon I'll do more than just say it." The tanned boy said with a stern expression before slowly getting off of the smaller boy, leaving the room and lock it up once again.

Cody sat slowly, staring at the door for a moment, and then entered another crying fit, the strongest one he had ever had. He was scared. Very scared. Images of Alejandro on top of him, ravaging his delicate body, pounding between his legs, as blood and semen poured onto the sheets, ran through his mind. It was a sickening image. He could feel his stomach churn with disgust, and the only reason he wasn't throwing up was because he had nothing to throw up. He hadn't eaten since he had been taken away, so now there he was, alone, hungry, and scared beyond his mind, not wanting to think what awaited him in the future.

He stood up from the bed and went over to his bag. He dug his hand in it and soon took an object out. It was a frame with a picture of him and Noah together, in Playa Del Losers. A teardrop fells on the glass, over the picture, and he brought the frame close to his chest, crying loudly.

"N-Noah… I need you… I need you…"

* * *

**Translation Key:**

(1) "How do you feel?"

(2) "Does anything hurt?"


	10. Chapter 9: Cody and the twins

**Chapter 9**

As Cody hugged the frame and cried, a ventilation pipe behind him shook slightly. Something was moving inside it, and as it got closer, the trembling increased, and the noise of crawling got louder, loud enough for Cody to hear.

The small brunette tensed. There was something in the ventilation pipe, he could tell. But not knowing what it was didn't make him feel any safer. He stayed still, holding his breath, as if that way he would become unnoticed by whatever was crawling around in the pipe. Until…

"Ow! Porra, deste-me um pontapé!"(1) Cody felt himself tense even more, but no longer with fear, but with worry as he recognized the young boy's voice.

"Quem te mandou andar com a cara colada aos meus pés, Marco?"(2) Patrícia replied to her twin brother, never ceasing her crawling in the pipe. She couldn't help but chuckle as she heard the thin boy mutter.

"Se eu fosse à frente, logo vias quem estava com a cara colada aos pés, sua…"(3)

Cody was finally able to react, standing up and looking at the pipe. There was a small opening with a grid to let the air pass, and the geek immediately went over to it.

"Children? Are you in there?" he called. Marco shut up and the sounds got faster and louder, and soon the twins had reached the small grid.

"Hey, Cody!" Patrícia immediately greeted. "What's up?"

The small brunette ignored her question. "How did you guys get in there? Are you both okay?"

"We're fine, don't worry. We got in from the cargo hold. Why do we need ventilation there anyway? It's not as if Chris and Chef have anything living in there." Cody couldn't help but chuckle at Marco's naivety.

"You don't know Chris. I don't know what he has in there, but surely he has something." he said before his amused expression went back to a worried one. "How did you guys get in here, anyway? Has Alejandro seen you?"

"Don't worry your pretty little head. He didn't see us at all." Patrícia assured him.

"He still can, though. And when he does, he'll kill us!" Marco said. "We gotta call Ana. If she kills him, then he won't be able to kill us! Everybody wins."

"Ssssshhh! He won't find us if you keep your mouth shut." The young girl said to her twin brother before looking back at Cody. "Can't you call Noah or something? You have a cell phone with you, right?"

The geek looked down sadly. "It's out of batteries… and there's nothing here I can use to recharge it… Besides, even if I used it, Alejandro would notice. It would make interference in the radio."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." The young girl said, understanding the point. But then an idea comes to her mind. "Hey, why don't you give us your phone? There's a place in the cargo hold where we can charge it. Then we'll come to talk to you. I have a plan."

"What's the plan?" her brother asked.

"I'll tell you there, Marco. Come on, Cody, give me the phone and the recharger."

For some reason, Cody felt insecure about this. He didn't want to endanger the children's lives. But he desperately wanted to warn Noah. Oh, what should he do?

"Patrícia… Will that plan of yours put you in danger? I don't want you to get hurt."

"Pffff, don't worry about it. I'll tell you the plan once your phone is recharged. Now come on, hand it over."

Cody went over to his bag and took out his cell phone and the recharged. He went back to them and handed them over through the grid. "Just promise me you'll be careful, children. Don't let Alejandro see you."

"Don't worry, we'll be careful." The young girl said with a wink, grabbing the blue cell phone and turning around. "We'll be back as soon as if done, kay?"

"Just be careful." The geek said one last time before the children left.

As soon as they were gone, he stood there for a moment. He just hoped he hadn't done the wrong thing. He would never forgive himself if the kids got hurt.

* * *

The teens were already in Mr. Víctor's apartment, all in the same living room. Sierra kept crying her heart out, not only for the fact that Cody was kidnapped, but also for him being gay. For her, it was devastating. It just meant she didn't have a chance with him.

Bridgette tried to comfort the tall girl, telling her it wasn't the end of the world, that there were more fish in the sea. It seemed to work a little, but the tears didn't cease to fall.

"Come on, Cody, pick up…" they heard Noah mutter impatiently, and look at him sadly.

The tanned nerd had been trying to call Cody ever since they came back from the hospital. He walked from side to side, trying to call again and again, his cheeks still carrying the trail of his tears.

"Come on… Pick up… P-pick up, Cody… Pick up…" He was already sobbing again, his hand shivering as he held his black cell phone to his ear. "Please, Cody…"

And once again, no answer. Noah slowly lowered his cell from his ear, and more sobs came. "C-Cody…" He leaned against the wall, more tears threatening to fall from his eyes. He couldn't believe this was actually happening. He should be holding his boyfriend in his arms, kiss him, protect him… not being afraid for his life.

The door opened, and everyone watched as Ana came in the room. Since her shirt was dipped in blood, she was then wearing a black top, holding her chest tightly, while her blood soaked bandages were out in the open.

"Whoa… Can you tell me how that feels? I've always wanted to know what is like being shot with a bullet." Harold said, staring closely at the stain on the bandages.

"That can be arranged." Was the answer he received, and before he knew it, Ana was already pointing her gun at his stomach.

"N-n-never mind!" he screamed, running away and hiding behind the couch. Duncan just rolled his eyes at this.

"Too bad. I needed something to cheer me up from the past events." The killer said in a bored tone.

"Shoot yourself in the stomach again. That oughta keep you busy." Heather replied rudely. She was sitting on a couch, her leg neatly crossed over the other as she did her nails, a satisfied look on her face. That is, until Ana's knife is thrown at her, successfully tearing the nail rasp in half and ending up stuck to the couch, mere inches from the Canadian girl's face.

Heather was too shocked to even scream.

"Oops, I missed." The scary killer said calmly.

Even though they were all scared of Ana, they couldn't say they weren't amused by Heather's shocked face.

The Portuguese girl took her knife back, then headed to Noah, who was still leaning against the wall with a solemn face. "Any luck, scrawny?" she asked.

Noah looked up at her and shook his head. "Nothing. He doesn't pick up. This is all my fault. If I hadn't had that argument with Cody, then…"

"Wait, you and Cody had an argue?" Courtney was suddenly interested in the conversation. "What about?" she asked as she pulled the boy over to the couch and they sat down.

"Well… I walked into our room, and I caught Alejandro sniffing Cody's clothes…"

Everyone gasped.

"He was doing what?" Bridgette asked, clearly shocked by this. "Oh my God…"

"I wanted to beat him up for it, but then Cody tells me Al was just helping with his luggage. I tried to tell him what I really saw, but he didn't believe me, and we ended up arguing. I even thought… I thought…" Noah's voice was already shaking as he remembered everything. "I even thought he was having an affair with Alejandro… but now I know it wasn't true…" The tears finally fell from his eyes, and he buried his face in his hands.

Courtney's eyes wavered as Noah cried. She had never seen the know-it-all so upset. It only showed how much he cared about Cody. It was true love, she could tell. She pulled the crying teen into a hug, rubbing his back gently.

"It's not your fault, it's mine." They all looked at Tyler. "If I had just a little more timing… Cody would still be here… But I'm so clumsy I lost all the time we had!" the jock said, tears also threatening to fall. Lindsay immediately went over and hugged him.

"It's okay, Trent." She said. But the jock didn't even bother to correct her.

"Oh I am so sick of this lame whining." And let out with a groan, walking around them and heading to the door.

"This must be pretty easy for you, isn't it?" Ana stopped on her tracks, her back turned to the cast as Harold yelled at her. "You act like a tough girl, but I'd like to see your reaction if one of your loved ones had been taken away!"

Silence. Heavy silence. No one dared to say anything, anxiously waiting for Ana to hurt Harold. But it never came. At least, not from her.

Bane threw itself at Harold, pinning him to the ground, the animal's nose close to his as the wolf growled menacingly. Tahira approached them, staring directly at Harold.

"Say something like that again, and you'll become Bane's lunch." She let out calmly. "Patrícia and Marco have been taken away too, but you don't see us crying about it."

Their eyes widened.

"The twins have been taken too?" Bridgette repeated, her face suddenly filled with pity. "Oh my gosh… they must be so scared…"

"Just like you, I don't know if they're alright." Ana finally spoke, turning around and staring at them with her cold eyes. "But I still refuse to cry over spilled milk. I'm going to find them and bring them back to safety, even if it kills me. I'll make Alejandro pay for taking the three of them, I assure you that."

Bane let out one last growl at Harold before getting off of him, and the three warriors left the room.

* * *

Hours passed, and still so sign of the kids. Nor Alejandro. Cody was starting to grow worried. Had the children been caught? Di Alejandro hurt them? He wanted to know very badly.

"Pssst! Cody!" he jumped up as soon as he heard Patrícia call from the pipe.

"Children, are you okay?" he immediately asked as he approached the grid.

"We're fine. Your cell is recharged. Now we need you to do something while we warn Ana." The girl said.

"What is it?" the geek asked, ready to do anything that would help with the plan and bring not only himself, but also the kids to safety.

* * *

**Translation Key:**

(1) "Ow! Damn it, you just kicked me!"

(2) "Who told you to have your face so close to my feet, Marco?"

(3) "If I were the one in the front, you'd see who had their face close to my feet, you…"


	11. Chapter 10: Caught

**Chapter 10**

Alejandro sighed in annoyance as he steered the plane. Of every piece of junk Chris could have brought, this would definitely be the worse. They were travelling for five hours now, while a normal plane would have just taken about two. At this rate, they would never reach their destination.

"Alejandro…"

The tanned boy turned his head to the side a little. He could have sworn he had heard Cody calling.

"Alejandro…" this time Cody's voice came along with some taps on a door.

He clicked a button. "_Autopilot Activated_." The mechanical voice echoed in the cockpit once again, and the Mexican teen stood up and left the cockpit, unaware of the two figures watching from a grid on the wall.

Patrícia reacted as soon as she saw Alejandro leave, searching through the numbers, trying to find the number that would allow her to warn her older sister.

* * *

"Al? Are you there?" Cody continued to call and knock on the door. He felt himself tense up when he heard the door unlocking. He took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

Patrícia's plan was simple: Cody would keep Alejandro distracted, while the twins went over to the cockpit and make the call. He had asked why the cockpit, and the little girl gave him two reasons. One, while Alejandro was distracted with Cody, that's the place where he would less likely go, and two, he could have something in there that maybe could turn out useful for Ana. So Cody agreed.

And now he was determined not to fail, because if he did, the children would be the ones to pay the consequences.

The door opened, and in came Alejandro, his green eyes immediately looking at Cody.

"I heard you calling. Do you need something, Cody?"

The geek's gaze immediately placed itself on the ground. He was incapable of staring into the other's teen's eyes. They made him feel sick.

"Al… I'm really really hungry… Can I go eat something?" he asked. It was no lie, he was starving. He hadn't eating since he had been taken away.

"I'll get you something." The kidnapper said, already preparing to leave. Cody's eyes widened. That wasn't part of the plan. If Alejandro delivered him the food, he would go back into the cockpit. The children needed more time than that.

"No!" the geek threw himself at the door, holding it. Alejandro looked at him in surprise. "Al, I beg you… Just let me go to the kitchen… I can't stand another minute locked in this room. Please… Even if you stay and keep an eye on me, I don't care, just let me out for a few minutes… Please…"

The Mexican boy stared at the smaller one, apparently thinking about his suggestion. Eventually, he let out a sigh. "I guess you need to get out of that room for a moment. Come, then. But try anything, and next time you won't be let out."

The small geek nodded, stepping out of Chris's room. Alejandro held him by the upper arm gently yet firmly, and led him to the kitchen. 'Great.' Cody thought to himself. 'Now all I have to do is keep him busy.'

* * *

The sun's light was barely noticeable due to the menacing clouds floating thousands of feet above the city.

Dark brown eyes scanned the peaceful street their apartment was located. Two little twin girls laughed and played, their grandmother watching over them, while two older boys played soccer not far away from them.

Noah watched everything from his window. He wished he could be as happy as those kids were. No worries, no responsibilities,… no taken away boyfriends…

He sighed in frustration. An hour ago, he had tried to call Cody numerous times, yet he received no answer. It worried him. It scared him not to receive an answer. It could have many meanings. It could mean Cody was hurt. It could mean Cody was dead. Or it could mean Cody was too busy being raped to even pick the phone. The know-it-all shivered at that thought. It was the last thing he wanted to happen to the pale geek. It would tear the delicate boy apart. And Noah would never admit it, but he'd rather see Cody dead than enduring such a thing.

He sighed. He wanted Cody back so badly. He couldn't stop thinking about him.

A warm hand found its way onto his shoulder, and he turned around to see none other than Tyler.

"Hey." The jock greeted. "You okay?" he asked. The tanned nerd shook his head, fully turning to the taller boy.

"How can I feel okay when all that has happened is my fault? If I had been more careful… Cody would still be here… safe…" he stopped talking when sobs threatened to come out again.

Tyler stared at the other sadly. The two had grown closer ever since the incident happened, maybe because Tyler had seen everything, witnessed it all with his own eyes. And he, just like Noah, felt responsible for what had happened. He felt that he himself would've been able to stop it.

"Hey, Tyler?" he heard Noah call, and looked at him straight in the eyes, wondering what the smaller boy was about to say. "How did it all happen? While I slept?"

For a moment the taller brunette was taken aback by such a question, but he soon understood why Noah has asked it. He wanted to know how Cody felt when it happened.

"I heard some noise in the middle of the night and woke up. I saw Al fully dressed, already at the door with two bags. I was curious and asked him where he was going. And that's when things got ugly. He opened one of the bags, took out a gun and pointed it at me."

Noah listened carefully, the images running through his mind as Tyler told him everything.

"I was terrified. I had no idea what he was gonna do. Every movement got slower, and I just couldn't take my eyes off the gun he was holding. He grabbed my clothes and tied me up, and told me he didn't want anything with me, but with Cody." The jock -continued, tears already forming in his eyes as he remembered everything of that dreadful night. "He said that if I tried anything to stop him, he'd hurt Cody… and then he left the room. I-I managed to get out of bed and go over to the door… I waited till the coast was clear, and… what I saw was just…" The brunette boy swallowed hard.

"What… did you see?…" Noah asked, already feeling the tears form in his eyes as well. To know everything had happened mere feet away from him just made him feel strange. As if his life had been on the line.

"I saw Alejandro pushing Cody out. He was pointing the gun at him… Cody was crying… And then he looked at you."

"Cody?"

Tyler nodded. "It was as if… as if he was saying 'goodbye'…" the jock sat on the bed. "You know what happened after that. I just… I just wish I had been faster…"

Tears were already running down Noah's cheeks. He could see himself sleeping peacefully on the couch, while his boyfriend feared for his life. How could he? How could he not wake up at that moment? How could he have fallen for that trap, leaving Cody unprotected?

The know-it-all clenched his fists. He was mad at himself. He had failed Cody. He was the reason why Cody was somewhere away, alone and scared, and perhaps even hurt.

"When he looked at you, it was heartbreaking. It was as if he was afraid you'd wake up…" The jock said sadly.

Noah bit his lip, thinking about it for a moment, and then realization hit him. 'I think I know why…' he thought to himself. To him it was obvious. Cody had the chance to save himself. All he had to do was scream Noah's name, and Alejandro would be busted. But it also meant that Noah could end up paying with his life. It was obvious to Noah why Cody didn't alert him.

He was protecting him.

And he didn't return the favor.

* * *

Lunch was served. A long table was set in the dining room, with tons of food on it.

Despite the latest disturbing events, Owen couldn't help but drool at the enormous quantity of food.

"Knock yourselves out." Ana said in a bored tone as she and her sister laid wine, water and sodas on the table.

The fat boy didn't need to be told twice. He took a seat in the middle of the table and dug in happily. He had never thought this would ever be possible. He was eating gabbages, and he was liking it. There were no fried things on the table, and he was liking it. All healthy yet tasty things. The perfect place for a guy trying to lose weight.

"Mmm… hey, Miss Ana?" he gathered the courage to call the girl, trying to sound as respectful towards her as possible.

The killer looked at him. " 'Miss' is an ugly word, big boy. The name is 'Ana', period." she said, approaching him. "What do you want?"

"Hum… I was wondering… is all Portuguese food this healthy and tasty?" he asked.

"No. Some are tastier, some are not, and the same goes for health. Some food we have here is junk in a bowl, while some is actually good for the body. All in all, we're not very different from any other country."

"Still. I've never had this much fun being healthy." The big guy said, serving himself some of what Portuguese people liked to call 'caldeirada'.

* * *

When Noah and Tyler arrived, everyone was already sitting and eating, safe for Ana and her crew.

Bridgette was the first one noticing their arrival, immediately signaling Noah to sit next to her. The tanned nerd did so, while Tyler went over to sit next to Lindsay.

"Hi Cody." She greeted.

"I'm Tyler, Lindsay. Cody was taken away, remember?" he replied.

The blonde girl stared at him. "Okay, I'm confused. How can you be away if you're here?" she asked.

The jock let out a sigh. "Oh forget it…" he said, laying his head on the table.

Meanwhile, LeShawna focused on the nerd next to her. It was clear he was devastated.

"Come on, turkey, eat something." she advised.

But Noah just shook his head. "I'm not that hungry."

The other members of the cast exchanged glances. They had never seen their smartest member this… sad.

"Come on, Noah, you gotta eat something." Bridgette said gently. "You need your strength."

The nerd sighed in annoyance. He knew that if he didn't start eat, the other's wouldn't leave him alone.

He served himself of some of the 'caldeirada'. It was like a soup, mixed with various kinds of fish and some clams. Noah had the impression he would throw up as soon as he got the first bite, but surprisingly, he didn't. It was, in fact, quite good. It's just like they say, don't judge a book by its cover.

"Whaddya think, buddy? Pretty good, huh?" Owen asked with his mouth full, which made Heather shiver with disgust.

"Whatever…" Noah said sadly before his cell phone started ringing. He took it out of his pocket and looked at the name. His eyes widened and he dropped his fork.

"Who is it?" Courtney asked, wondering why a phone call would shock Noah that much.

The tanned nerd slowly raised his eyes towards her before replying lowly. "Cody…"

Everyone stopped eating in an instant staring at him. Noah was too shocked to do anything, staring at his boyfriend's name on the screen.

"Well what are ya waiting for, turkey? Answer it!" LeShawna's voice brought him back to reality. The nerd shook his head for a moment, then answered it.

"Cody?…" he asked as soon as the phone reached his ear. For a moment he stood there, an anxious expression on his face, and then his eyes closed in what seemed disappointment, before he talked again. "Where's Cody? Is he okay?" He waited as the one on the other end talked to him. He sighed with relief, though still anxious. The person on the other end kept talking, and then Noah looked at Ana, offering her his cell.

"It's your sister."

* * *

Patrícia waited for Noah to hand the phone over to her older sister.

"_Carreira._" She heard the killer's harsh voice through the phone.

"Mana, sou eu."(1) The little girl said.

"_Vocês estão bem?_"(2) Ana asked.

"Sim, eu e o Marco estamos bem. O gajo mexicano não sabe que estamos no avião."(3)

"_Óptimo. Mantenham-se escondidos, não deixem que ele saiba que estão aí. __E o Cody?_"(4)

"O Cody está bem. Por enquanto."(5) Patrícia replied before feeling her brother taking the phone from her.

"Ana, estamos na conduta de ventilação sobre o cockpit. O tipo tem um mapa ali, e parece que o tem usado para fazer desenhos."(6) the boy said.

There was a moment of silence before their older sister talked more to herself than to them. "_He must have drawn his route on that map._" She said lowly. "_Conseguem chegar a ele?_"(7)

"Será arriscado."

"_Se há a mínima hipótese de ele vos apanhar, não arrisquem, ouviram?_"(8)

Marco exchanged glances with his sister. If the drawings on the map really were the route they were taking, then it would be of great advantage for Ana to get to them. But if they got caught, their fate surely wouldn't be pretty. He stared straight into his sister's eyes. She was thinking exactly what he was. They had to get their hands on the map. He sighed, preparing himself mentally for what they were about to do.

"Nós vamos buscá-lo." (10)

* * *

Cody sat at the table, very still, as he watched Alejandro rummage through the fridge, trying to find something for them to eat. The kidnapper had locked the kitchen's door, keeping Cody from even thinking of running away while his back was turned.

Alejandro grabbed a few steaks and started cooking them. It didn't take long for them to be ready, and the tall teen handed Cody a plate with one on it before going to grab a bag of chips and handing them to him.

The small geek started eating immediately. Even though he was afraid of the tanned teen, he had to admit, he was starving.

Alejandro smiled as he watched the smaller boy eat. He was glad that Cody was finally feeling enough at ease to eat with him. He sat across from the smaller teen.

"How's the food, Cody?"

"Hmmm gweat!" the smaller boy said with his mouth full.

The bigger male was about to say something, but stopped for a moment as a sound reached his ears. He couldn't quite make out what it was. It seemed like… voices. And they seemed to be coming from the wall behind him. He turned slightly in his chair and stared at said wall.

Noticing Alejandro's actions, Cody stopped eating for a moment as well, and when he too heard the voices, his eyes widened. 'The children!' he thought to himself. He couldn't let Alejandro hurt the children. He knew he had to do something. He picked up a big piece of stake and put in his mouth, then let out a yell.

"Oww‼!"

This made Alejandro turn back to him. "Cody, is something wrong?" he asked.

"Hot hot hot‼!" the boy said, using his hand to blow some wind to his tongue. The tanned boy stood up and fetched him a glass of water, which the boy took gratefully. "Th-thanks." Cody said, drinking the cool water in a hurry, not that he really was in one. It was all acting. The stake wasn't really that hot, but he needed an excuse to yell out loud enough to muffle the twins' voices.

Alejandro stared back at the wall after he sat down. Whatever sound he had heard before, it had stopped.

'Maybe it was just my imagination.' He thought, turning back to Cody.

The geek was already finishing his meal, and had a quite satisfied look on his face.

"Better?" the Mexican boy asked, receiving a nod from the smaller one.

"Yeah, it was-"

A loud sound was suddenly heard, once again from the wall they had stared at before. This time, Alejandro knew it wasn't his imagination. He looked at the wall, then at Cody, and that was when he noticed something in the boy's expression. His eyes were wide and staring not at the wall, but straight at him. The moment he stared into the teal colored eyes, he recognized what they held.

Fear.

Alejandro's eyes narrowed. There was obviously someone on the plane, and Cody was covering for them. The Mexican stood up and took a gun from the strap on his belt.

Noticing his actions, Cody reacted immediately, standing up and going over to stand in front of the taller teen, keeping him from approaching the door.

"A-Are you sure you need to be armed? Maybe it's a mouse or something."

Alejandro didn't answer. His angered gaze set itself on the boy. Cody flinched a little at this.

"Who's in there?" Alejandro asked.

"What?"

"Who are you covering for?"

Cody gulped. "I-I-I have no ide-" he was suddenly cut short when a hard slap was delivered to his face, making him lose his balance and fall to the side. He was so shocked he didn't even move.

"You think I'm stupid, Cody? I should have known better than to think you were just hungry!" Alejandro yelled as he opened the door. "I'll be back once I handle the intruders. In the meantime, savor your time out of that room, because from now on I won't be so forgiving!" he said before slamming the door and locking it.

Cody rubbed the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. He looked at it to see blood staining the skin. But he ignored it. At the moment, that was the least of his concerns. He stood up quickly and ran towards the wall, knocking on it hard.

"Children, get out of there! RUN‼!" he called. When two childish screams came from the other side, he paled. "No…" he whispered to himself. He couldn't let Alejandro hurt the children. He had to do something.

He searched around the kitchen, opening drawers and closets, trying to find anything that would get him out. Surely the kitchen would have more resources that Chris's room.

And he'd better hurry finding one if he wanted the children to live.

* * *

Adriana reached the room with a world map, opening it on the table.

"Ok, Patrícia, diz o percurso." (11) Ana said over to the phone while Tahira grabbed a red marker, ready to draw the line that would help them in their quest.

The killer waited for a moment, then started listing the places they'd be as her little sister told her.

"Paris, Roma, Kiev, Astana, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Magadan."

The taller girl nodded as soon as she finished drawing on the map.

"É tudo?" (12)

"_É tudo o que encontrámos, ele não tem cá mais nada._" (13) The girl's voice responded.

"O que temos já é suficiente. Entretanto vejam se conseguem-" (14) Ana stopped as she heard voices screaming on the other end. "Patrícia?"

She stared at Noah's cell phone, only to see that their call had ended.

"Shit!" Ana let out, realizing what just happened. Alejandro had caught them.

* * *

Cody opened another drawer. It was filled with cooking materials: spoons, knives, the sorts. He picked a huge spoon that chef used to serve… whatever those things were made of.

"That will have to do." He said to himself before going over to the table and grabbing a chair, placing it right under a grid on the ventilation pipe. He stood on the chair and tried to open the grid with the spoon.

"Come on, come on…" he groaned anxiously. He was running out of time.

* * *

The gate to the cargo hold opened, giving way for a tall figure, along with two shorter ones.

"Let us go!" Marco yelled as Alejandro dragged him and his sister by their shirts.

"So you children thought you could just get in here and tell Ana everything, did you?" he said, going over to the gate that Chris would use to throw eliminated contestants out.

"You're not gonna get away with this! Ana will kick your butt!‼" Patrícia replied, struggling in the man's grasp.

"Not likely. She has no idea where I'm going, and you two won't live to tell her. Why should I be worried?"

The tanned teen clicked a button, and the gate opened, letting in air, cold from being so high. The children closed their eyes as the strong wind hit their faces.

"Have a nice flight. Alejandro said with a smirk, ready to push the 10-year-olds out of the plane. However, he was interrupted by a loud sound of something metallic hitting the floor. He turned around to see Cody jump out of the vent, landing on his feet and immediately facing him.

"Stop!"

* * *

**Translation Key:**

(1) "Sis, it's me."

(2) "_Are you alright?_"

(3) "Yes, Marco and I are okay. The Mexican guy doesn't know we're in the plane"

(4) "_Good, keep yourselves hidden, don't let him catch you. And Cody?_"

(5) "Cody's okay. For now."

(6) "Ana, we're in the ventilation pipe over the cockpit. The guy has a map in there, and it seem he's been using it to make drawings."

(7) "_Can you reach it?_"

(8) "It will be risky."

(9) "_If there's the slightest chance you'd get caught, don't risk it, you hear?_"

(10) "We'll go get it."

(11) "Ok, Patrícia, say the course."

(12) "Is that all?"

(13) "It's all we found, he's got nothing more here."

(14) "What we have is already enough. In the meantime, see if you can-"


	12. Chapter 11: The deal

**Author's Notes: First, I'd like to thank all the readers for their patience and support, be it from those who have posted comments, be it from those who just read it. Also, I'd like to apologize to you all for keeping you waiting for this chapter for so long. Trust me, I do not feel proud for doing it.**

**Lastly, I'd like to thank ****Ralyena Starrling ****for all her help with this story. Her amazing ideas and advices helped turning this story for the best, and I will be forever thankful.**

* * *

**WARNING! This chapter contains slash scenes. Do not read it if you're too sensitive. You have been warned.**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

Alejandro stared at the geeky boy in front of him, never losing his iron grip on the children.

"I gotta say, Cody, you're quite the sneaky little weasel…" Alejandro said, his gaze running all over Cody's body, admiring it. He never thought he'd say this, but the fact that Cody had managed to get out of the kitchen and was now confronting him made the boy much more appealing.

"Let them go, Al!" Cody lifted the spoon in front of his face. "I-I got a spoon and I'm not afraid to use it!"

The tanned teen lifted an eyebrow at this, yet couldn't help but chuckle. "How intimidating." He said. "Terrifying, in fact."

Cody kept the spoon in front of his face, taking a glance at it, then back at Alejandro. Who was he kidding? He wouldn't be able to do anything with this!

The tanned boy chuckled again. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some intruders to throw over board." He said, turning around and getting ready to throw the twins out of the plane. That is, until something light and metallic hit the back of his head. He heard the spoon fall somewhere in the cargo hold, but paid it no mind. He couldn't help but laugh at Cody's attempt.

"Seriously, Cody, did you think throwing that spoon at me would do any good?" he asked mockingly.

"Let them go right now!" Cody screamed, which just made the Mexican teen laugh harder.

That is, until he heard a growl coming from his left.

He stopped and turned his gaze to the left to see none other than an animalistic Ezekiel growling at him. He could see the spoon on the floor, right next to him, immediately understanding why Zeke was so… mad. The spoon had hit him after it hit Alejandro.

Ezekiel let out another growl before pouncing on Alejandro, making him scream and lose his grip on the kids.

"Run!" Cody told the children, who soon complied.

'No' he thought to himself. He couldn't let the kids go. He had to get rid of them. He gave the animalistic Zeke a strong punch, making him whine in pain and fall back, going back to his hiding spot in the middle of the crates. Then he reached over to grab one of the twins. His fingers wrapped around Patrícia's ankle, making the girl fall with a scream.

"Gah! Let go!" she yelled.

Marco, who had just gotten to Cody, turned around and gasped as he saw his sister being pulled by Alejandro.

Cody's eyes widened, and he left Marco to go help the 10-year-old girl. The geek went over to them, grabbing Alejandro's wrist, trying to make him let go of the girl.

"Let go of her!" he screamed.

"Gladly." The tanned teen replied, releasing his grip on the girl. Instead, he grabbed the pale geek, pinning him to the ground, while Patrícia ran over to her brother.

Alejandro ended up positioned between Cody's legs, his strong hands holding Cody's thin wrists on the ground.

"You really want to save them, huh?" he asked, watching as the smaller boy tried to escape his grip. "You know, I'm willing to let them live… but that comes with a price."

Cody stopped struggling, looking up at his captor.

"And what price might that be?" he asked.

Alejandro grinned at this before lowering himself to Cody's ear and whispering. As soon as he finished, Cody's eyes widened with pure terror.

"No…" the boy said, looking up at him, tears already forming in his eyes. "Please, Alejandro, anything but that! There must be something else I could do!"

Alejandro shook his head. "Either do it, or they die."

Tears flowed across Cody's cheeks and down to his neck. He couldn't possibly do what Alejandro requested. He just couldn't!

"Last chance, Cody. You can always say 'no'. I'd actually prefer if you did. That way I'd get rid of those brats."

Cody shut his eyes tight. If Noah found out about this, he would never forgive him. But if he didn't do it, the children would be paying for it.

"Well?"

The geek gulped. "O-O-Okay…" he said between sobs.

* * *

Noah sat on the couch, his elbows on his knees, his hands supporting his head. His gaze wouldn't leave the floor, and his eyes shined, although no tears fell down. It was clear he was holding back, but he still couldn't hide the sadness spread all over his features.

"Poor Noah…" Bridgette said as she and LeShawna watched him. "I've never seen him like this."

"Turkey really loves that boy. It must be very painful to have him taken away." The black girl said sadly. "I don't think any of us would feel as much pain as he's feeling right now."

"I never thought Alejandro would do such a thing. He seemed like such a cool guy…"

"Not everything is what it seems, honey." A frown took over LeShawna's face. "I swear, if I ever catch that dirty snake, I'll give him the beating of his life!"

* * *

"I swear, if I ever catch that dirty snake, I'll give him the beating of his life." Ana's voice echoed in the room.

She was in a private meeting with her crew, in Mr. Víctor's basement.

"At least we know where they're heading to. Magadan, Russia. We could wait for them there and catch them." Adriana said as she and Tahira stared at the map. "Although I don't see what Alejandro could possibly want from there."

The older girl kept staring at the map, following the red line they had drawn in the world map, until something caught her attention. "Magadan is not his target." She said.

"Of course not. His target is to escape. To disappear and never be heard of again." The leader of the group said.

"That's not what I mean." Tahira replied.

Ana turned around looking straight at her fellow killer, her eyes meeting the taller girl's. "What do you mean then?" she asked, approaching their table.

Tahira placed her finger on the map, right where it said 'Japan'. "Here. Why would he go all the way to Japan, then Russia, when he could go directly to Magadan?"

Ana stared at it, pondering on it. "He's covering a bigger distance than he would if he went directly to Magadan."

"Exactly. The only time he goes straight to Russia is-"

"From Japan." Ana finished her fellow killer's sentence.

Tahira nodded. "Even if he plans to get rid of the plane, and use other transportations, he'd have to use a boat twice, when he could easily catch a train to Magadan." She grabbed a red pin. "If we want to catch him,…" she stabbed the name Tokyo with the pin. "… this is the place. Something is going to happen here, and I have a feeling it won't be good."

The shorter killer stared at the spot where the pin remained. Her hand found its way to Tahira's shoulder.

"Your instincts have never let our team down, my friend, and I doubt they will today. Next stop, Tokyo, Japan."

Tokyo, Japan. They had to catch Alejandro there, or even before that. She had to admit, time was lacking. If they wanted to stop the guy, they'd have to act fast.

And the first thing they needed was a plane.

* * *

"Mmmf‼!" Muffled sounds came from the twins.

Alejandro had gagged them and was at the moment tying them up to the chairs in the first class.

"Al, do you really need to go that far? Maybe they'd stay still if we told them to…"

"Sure they would, Cody." The tanned boy replied sarcastically as he finished tying Marco to his chair, making sure there was no chance of them to escape. However, the boy wasn't just going to let himself be tied to a chair without a fight. Without Ale4jandro expecting it, the boy delivered a hard kick to the young man's jaw, earning a yell of both surprise and pain.

"Why you little-!" Alejandro was already raising a hand to slap Marco right across the face, only for Cody to stop him with a loud "No!", holding his wrist with his pale hands.

The tanned boy sent him a quick glance, then narrowed his eyes back at Marco. "You are so lucky Cody doesn't want me to hurt you." He let out, resuming tying the boy to the chair, this time paying more attention to the possibility of him fighting back.

Then he turned to Cody with a smile.

"Alright, we're all set. Shall we?" he asked, making a gesture towards a door. The door to Chris's room.

Cody looked at the open door, seeing part of the room. This time, it seemed much darker than before, as if a dark alley in the middle of the night. It was frightening, especially since Cody knew what was waiting him in that room. He took a step backwards, starting to have second thoughts about their deal.

This didn't please Alejandro. But the bigger male knew how to make Cody go forward with it.

"Remember our deal, Cody. Think of the kids."

The geeky boy turned back around, staring at the twins. Their eyes showed fear and anxiety, and a little bit of concern. Cody gulped, but sent them a smile and a slight nod. "Don't worry, children. Everything's gonna be okay." He said, trying not to show that he was close to tears. Deep inside, he knew he had said it more to calm himself down rather than the kids.

He turned back to the room and took a deep breath. And then he walked forward, getting closer and closer to the darkness. The closer he got, the more frightening it seemed. It felt as if it was alive, staring at him, ready to strike. He gulped, biting his lower lip, finally stepping inside.

* * *

"McLean!"

Chris jumped at hearing Ana's names, along with a loud sound.

The killer had delivered a hard kick to his door, stepping inside without even asking. "McLean, I need you to-" she broke into a halt when she looked at him. He was lying in bed, his sheets covering his lower half, while his naked torso was out in the open.

But that wasn't what had surprised the girl.

It was the green stuff plastered all over his face.

"Should I be shocked or grossed out? Because I think you've made me feel both." She said, never taking his eyes off his face.

"Ana?" he stood up, completely forgetting he had nothing on. Literally. Only when he was up did he notice it. The sheets had fallen as he had stood up, and so there he was, completely exposed to Ana's eyes.

"Well, that makes up for it." She added, no longer focusing on his face.

Chris grabbed the sheets and wrapped them around himself.

"Don't you know how to knock? This is the second time you catch me in a bad time!" he yelled.

"Actually, McLean, this time was worse. What the heck is that on your face? Looks like chicken shit."

"For your information, it's a face mask! It keeps my skin protected and hydrated, and prevents wrinkles from appearing!"

Ana stared at him with an arched eyebrow for a while. Then she let out an sigh. "Why are the cute ones always gay?" she asked to no one in particular.

"I AM NOT- wait, what?"

"Anyway, I need you to get me a plane."

"What do I look like, Santa?"

"Actually, McLean, between you and a face rotting zombie, the apple of ugliness didn't fall far from the tree in your case. Now get to it!"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "If I do, will you start knocking before entering."

"Sure, whatever."

"Then fine, I'll get you a plane."

Ana turned around, leaving the room, and as soon as she was gone he sat down with an annoyed sigh.

And then she opened the door and peeked in again.

"Make sure we have it by tomorrow, zombie-boy."

"JUST GO!" Chris yelled loudly, wanting nothing more but to get dressed. This only amused Ana more. But for now she'd leave him alone. There are more important matters to attend to.

* * *

Cody stood completely still, not moving a single inch. He was at the feet of Chris's bed, facing it. He closed his eyes shut when he heard the door close behind him, followed by the sound of it being locked. He heard the key being removed from the key hole, then footsteps becoming louder and louder, getting closer to him. He could hear Alejandro's breathing as the bigger teen approached him from behind. Yet he didn't move.

He felt a pair of hands place themselves on his shoulders, rubbing them gently, massaging his muscles.

"You're too tense, Cody." Alejandro said. "There's no need to be this tense. It's nothing you haven't done before."

Cody gulped. It was true, he had done this lots of times. But with Noah, not with Alejandro. And he knew that it wouldn't be the same. No matter how much he'd imagine Noah was doing it, he'd always know it wasn't him.

Alejandro's hands travelled lightly down Cody's arms, resting on his pale hands, crossing their fingers together as Alejandro's tanned lips placed a kiss on his right shoulder. This only crept Cody more. But he still didn't move, even though the tears were already forming in his eyes.

Alejandro stopped his ministrations on the smaller boy, walking around him till he was right in front of him.

"You can start by unbuttoning my shirt, Cody." He ordered calmly. Cody's eyes stared up at him in a pleading look, but Alejandro wasn't touched by it. "You can take as long as you want, but sooner or later you'll have to do it. Remember our deal."

The young geek gulped again, lifting his trembling hands up to the first button of Alejandro's red shirt. He started unbuttoning it, one by one, trying to hold his tears. He used to do this for Noah at night, when they approached bed time. He'd feel happy, at peace, useful. Now he felt nothing like that. Anxiety was all he felt at that moment, helping Alejandro with his shirt, being completely obvious that the bigger male had purposely buttoned it up for him to take it off.

Soon enough the shirt was off, along with the white wife beater.

Cody's gaze was set on the floor. The last thing he wanted was to look at Alejandro's chest, no matter how hot he was.

Unfortunately, Alejandro wasn't leaving it like that. His tanned hand found its way under Cody's chin, lifting it, making him stare him in the eyes, lustful green into fearful blue.

"Don't be afraid, Cody. Feel me. You'll see you'll like it." The Mexican teen held Cody's hands with his own, bringing them to rest on his toned chest. "Feel it."

Once again, Cody closed his eyes shut as Alejandro forced his hands to run over the tanned skin, to feel the strong muscles contract at the feel.

In the meantime, the bigger boy held the other by the waist, bringing him closer, his fingers already tugging at the yellow shirt, pulling it up. Slowly, taking his time, Alejandro pulled the shirt over Cody's head and threw it on the floor, leaving him in the beige colored shirt we wore under it. Then he went over to the bed and sat on it, still staring at the smaller boy.

"Take it off, Cody. I want to have a good look at you." He ordered gently.

Cody's teary gaze was set on the wall, avoiding Alejandro, as his trembling hands nervously undid the buttons of his shirt. It didn't take long for all of them to be undone. He was about to take it off, when Alejandro suddenly stopped him. "No!" Cody stopped and stared at him for a moment. "Don't take it off. Just let it slide down your shoulders." The tanned boy asked with a smirk.

The geek swallowed hard, but did as he was told nonetheless. He lowered his arms, letting his shirt slowly slide them down, caressing his skin, before finally falling on the floor, around his feet.

Alejandro laid back, taking in the sight before him.

"Wonderful. Beauty in the flesh." He complimented as his eyes ran over Cody's slight curves. The paler teen had a lean chest and abs, but not to the point where there were no muscles at all. His body was just right. It had perfection written all over it.

Cody crossed his arms in front of his chest, as if trying to hide himself from Alejandro's hungry gaze. Realizing this, the bigger male stood up and went over to him, wrapping his strong arms around him. "Ashamed, Cody?" he asked, receiving a fearful glance from the other. "Don't be. There's no need to feel shame for being beautiful." He lifted Cody's chin, pulling him closer, to him. "Just accept it." He said before firmly take the boy's lips with his own in a rough kiss.

After a while of Alejandro fooling around, the two of them had finally stripped themselves down. Once again tears ran down Cody's cheeks. He was about to do the unforgiveable.

"I'm sure you've done this with Noah many times." Alejandro said, sitting on the bed again. "So I know you know how to start." He smirked before spreading his legs, giving Cody a good view of his half-erect member. "Get to it."

A sob escaped Cody's lips. He could feel his heartbeat speeding like never before. He couldn't believe he was about to do this. But he had to. For the children.

He went over to Alejandro and kneeled before him, his face right in front of his dick. He grabbed it with his pale hand, rubbing it a little, then proceeded to put it in his mouth, engulfing it in warmth. This earned him a moan from the bigger boy, but he didn't make any effort to make it better. He would do his least.

However, Alejandro didn't seem to care. Just to have his dick inside Cody's mouth, feel his tongue run over the base, have his member engulfed in his warmth, was enough. He gripped Cody's hair in a fist, forcing him back and forth, making the boy unwillingly give him a blowjob, almost gagging in the process.

And then he had enough. He pulled Cody by his hair, pulling him closer until he could whisper at his ear.

"I want you. Now." He whispered before roughly throwing the boy onto the bed. Cody's teal colored eyes held that frightened look once again, for he knew that the last phase had arrived. He was about to do something that not even himself found the heart to forgive.

"Spread them." Alejandro ordered, and it only took Cody a few seconds to comply. Time seemed to slow down in front of his eyes: Alejandro placing himself between his legs, hunching over him, the lustful look in his green eyes, the tanned hand caressing his pale cheek, the other hand caressing his thigh, the flickering light of the lit candles.

And then there was pain.

Alejandro started inserting himself into Cody, stretching him to his limit, filling him. The small geek let out a gasp, and was about to yell out in pain, only to have Alejandro's hand cover his mouth.

"Sssshhh, no screaming, Cody. You don't want the kids to hear what we're doing here, do you?"

Their gazes crossed once, and then Cody shut his eyes, forcing the tears out, shaking his head.

"Good." The tanned boy said, removing his hand from the other's mouth, focusing on his task instead. He slowly pulled himself out, then back in even slower, then repeating the process. He was fully leaning on top of Cody, staring him straight in the face as he made love to him. He could no longer see the tears or the miserable look in his blue eyes. All that mattered was that they were finally doing it.

That thought made Alejandro even more excited, starting to go faster and deeper with each thrust.

Cody's hands found their way to Alejandro's chest, sometimes offering some resistance to the body on top of him, as more and more tears ran down his face. He tried to fool himself, tried to close his eyes and pretend it was Noah on top of him. But it was in vain. That was not the feel of Noah inside him. That was not Noah's body. It was not Noah's scent.

It was Alejandro Burromuerto.

A sudden hit to his prostate made his eyes roll back in pleasure, and an unwanted moan to escape his lips. Noticing it, Alejandro tried successfully to hit that spot again and again, wanting Cody to enjoy it as much as he was.

"Dios mío, Cody…" he groaned. "How tight you are for someone so experienced." He said, unaware that the boy could no longer hear him, too close to his peak to hear anything. A few more hard thrusts from Alejandro, and he came all over their stomachs and chests, yelling out.

Cody's orgasm made his whole body contract, and the muscles around Alejandro's member were no exception. Feeling the tightness become even tighter sent him over the edge, spilling his seed into Cody's warmth depths, filling him up.

They laid still like that for a moment, panting, still feeling the beautiful afterglow.

And then Cody's eyes widened.

"Get… off of… me…" he let out, catching Alejandro's attention.

"What is it, Cody?" he asked gently.

"Get off of me, get out of me, GET OFF!" the geek yelled out, pushing the Latino teen off of him before rushing to the bathroom. He ran in, closed the door and locked it, then leaned against it, covering his mouth as fresh new tears fell from his wide eyes.

What had he done? He had just had an affair with Alejandro! For the sake of two kids he barely knew!

'How could I?' he thought to himself. 'How could I do this? How could I betray him? How?'

He couldn't believe it. He had actually done it. He just had sex with another man, when he had a boyfriend. Disgust was all he could feel at the moment. Disgust at himself, and shame. Great shame. Especially because he enjoyed it enough to have an orgasm.

He couldn't take it any longer. He went over to the toilet, kneeled in front of it, and threw up.


	13. Chapter 12: I will protect you

**Author's Notes: Today is the celebration of my 19****th**** birthday. So, as a present to all my readers, you shall be treated with not one, but TWO chapters. I hope you all enjoy it as I've enjoyed my day. ^^**

* * *

**Chapter 12**

Patrícia winced as she tried to move. Alejandro had tied them so tightly it hurt just to move, especially the rope tied around their wrists.

She looked at the door Cody and Alejandro walked through. What were they even doing in there? What deal was it that concerned them and made Cody have such a miserable look in his eyes? Because she was no fool. She could clearly see the look of pure fear Cody held, the look that, no matter how much the face hid it, screamed for help.

The door unlocked. The handle started turning, and soon the big piece of wood gave way for two figures to come out. Alejandro came in front, fully dressed, his wife beater showing his slightly sweaty chest.

And right behind came Cody. His clothes were all wrinkled, his hair was messed up, and his face was paler than before. But what shocked the 10-year-olds the most was his eyes. Cody's eyes were like an open book. Yet, at that moment, they showed nothing. No fear, no sadness, no anger, nothing.

Alejandro stood with his arms crossed, waiting while Cody went over to the children. The smaller teen went over to Marco and took his gag off. The boy immediately started talking.

"Cody, what-"

"Shh." Cody shushed, placing his fingers lightly on the young boy's lips. "It's okay. I'm just gonna untie you. Everything's okay." The geek said calmly, helping Marco up and untying the ropes. Then he did the same with Patrícia.

"Cody, what did he-" Patrícia started asking too, but just like her brother, was stopped from asking it.

"Are you children hungry? Let's go to the kitchen, I'll fix you some lunch." The brunette said with a smile, placing each of his hands on the twins' backs and gently pushing them towards the kitchen.

But Alejandro stood on their way. "That won't be necessary. We're almost reaching our next stop. Take them to Chef's room."

The children could have sworn they felt Cody's hands tighten their grip on them, though not reaching the point of hurting. "Only if I stay with them." He said firmly.

Alejandro's eyes narrowed at him, yet for once he wasn't touched by it.

"Do you want the kids to end up injured tonight?"

"Oh shut it, Al! You've got my phone and we're two thousand feet in the sky, there's no way they'll escape or warn anyone!"

The other three were surprised by Cody's outburst, but no more than himself.

"Please, Alejandro. They must be scared, and leaving them alone would only make things worse. Just let me watch over them." He asked, this time in a calmer tone.

"Fine. But if they try anything, it's one ticket out of the plane for them." The tanned teen finally agreed.

"They won't. I promise."

Having said all he needed, Alejandro opened the door to Chef's room. "Get inside."

Cody, Patrícia and Marco did as they were told, and once they were in, the bigger male close the door and locked it, going over to steer the plane afterwards.

* * *

Cody took a look at the twins' wrists and arms, trying to see if there was any injury due to rope burn. The girl had slight marks around her wrists, but not as bad as the ones Marco had on his arms, possibly done when he kicked Alejandro.

The thin brunette stood straight and when over to the bathroom to find something to heal their wounds. He eventually found a cream for burns, and brought it to them.

"Cody, what did he do to you?" Patrícia asked as Cody applied a bit of the cream around her wrists.

"What are you talking about, sweetie?" The brunette replied, pretending not to know what she meant, even though he knew full well and hated that fact.

"You know full well what I'm talking about. What did he do to you in that room?" She asked again as the teenager proceeded to take care of her brother's wounds. Cody had to admit, Patrícia was a very clever girl.

"We argued and he slapped me, that's all." He said.

"Lie." Marco instantly let out, which made Cody stop what he was doing to stare at him. "He's slapped you before, we saw it. And when he did, you didn't have that look."

"W-What look?"

"That one. In your eyes. That look."

Cody was silent for a moment, staring at the boy straight in the eyes, and Marco could have sworn he saw tears forming in Cody's.

Then another smile graced the geeky teen's lips.

"Don't worry. Everything's gonna be okay." With that he pulled both twins in an embrace. "I won't let Alejandro lay a finger on any of you. I promise."

* * *

Chris came in the room, holding a cell phone to his ear.

"I'm telling you the truth, Mr. Anderson. I'm sorry."

Noah looked up at the host as he heard the name 'Anderson'. It was Cody's last name.

Chris listened to Mr. Anderson say something, then went over to Noah. "Cody's father wants to talk to you." He said, handing the phone over to him.

The know-it-all took it and brought it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"_Hello, Akamai_." He heard Mr. Anderson's rough voice greeting. This time, unlike his usual neutral tone, his voice showed a hint of sadness.

"Mr. Anderson… I suppose Chris has already given you the news?"

"_Yes, that my son has been forced to run away with another man._"

Noah frowned. Hearing Cody's father say it like it was made him feel much, much worse about it.

"_I never really liked you, Akamai, that is a known fact. But the reason I never messed with the relationship you had with Cody was because I was sure you'd take good care of him. If there's one thing I reckon on you, it's that you were very protective of him. So care to explain how come you let that guy take him away?_"

Noah narrowed his eyes. He wasn't very fond of Cody's father either, especially when the man seemed ready to blame him for what happened.

"We… had an argue." He admitted.

"_About what?_"

Noah gulped. He hated remembering how stupid he had been not to notice Alejandro's intentions.

"I caught Alejandro sniffing Cody's clothes while he was helping Cody unpack. Cody didn't see it, but I did. I kicked Alejandro out of our room, and we argued. Cody was sure it was just a misunderstanding, no matter how much I told him it wasn't."

For a brief moment, there was silence on the other end of the line, and then a sight.

"_Cody has always been a naïve, innocent boy. Always trying to see some good in people when there is absolutely none_." Noah could almost feel the dread emanating from the man's voice. "_All that niceness, and for what? To end up forced to run away from his loved ones._"

Noah's left hand shook furiously as it gripped the tissue of his jeans tightly. It was true. The innocent ones were always paying the higher prices.

"_We're catching a plane tonight, probably will arrive there tomorrow morning. We want to be there when our son gets rescued._"

"You do know that-"

"_There's a high probability that he's dead or will never be found? Yes, I'm aware of that. But that doesn't keep me from having hope._"

Noah bit his lip at hearing this. He, too, hoped Cody was still alive and uninjured, and that he would hold him once again.

"_See you tomorrow, Akamai._"

"Yeah… see you…"

And with that the call ended.

* * *

Paris, France.

Cody had always wanted to visit Paris. He had always heard of it as a beautiful, romantic city. And he had to admit, it was beautiful and romantic.

Now if only Noah was there…

The four were already sitting at a fancy restaurant, waiting for the waiter to give them the menus. The pale brunette's eyes would stare at anywhere, just so his gaze wouldn't meet Alejandro's, which he knew was set on him.

"Don't you like this restaurant, Cody?" Alejandro asked, trying to at least start a conversation.

But Cody just nodded with a low "Yes…"

"Then what's the matter?"

This made Cody snap.

"You know full well what the fucking matter is, Alejandro." He whispered roughly, his eyes showing fury. And yet a hint of fear could be seen there too.

The tanned boy crossed his arms over the table, leaning on it. Cody shrunk back at the gesture, fear overtaking him again, not wanting to imagine what Alejandro would do to him for his outburst.

"A deal's a deal, Cody. You did your part, there's no need to feel regret because of that."

The geeky teen looked to his side, not wanting to stare at Alejandro in the eye. "That wasn't a deal, you blackmailed me."

"No, I gave you the chance to choose. You chose to agree with it, but I gave you the choice to say no. It was a simple deal." Alejandro stated matter-of-factly.

The air grew suddenly tense with the silence between the two teens. And then Cody let out a slight sob, followed by three words. Three simple words.

"I hate you."

And then the waiter came to take their orders.

* * *

It was noon.

The basement would be pitch dark if it weren't for the glowing computer monitor placed on the desk.

Ricardo bit his lip as he typed furiously on the keyboard. The red dot hadn't moved for two hours now, and he was trying his best to find out where exactly they were. Unfortunately, Paris is extremely big, which made it an almost impossible challenge.

The Chinese boy innerly smiled at that. Impossible? No, doing a 5k jog is impossible. This was a piece of cake. Sure, it was a larger piece of cake, but cake nonetheless.

"Really? You think a 5k jog is impossible?" He heard a young girl's voice coming from the door.

"It is for me." He said as Adriana approached him, sitting next to him.

"What did you find?"

"They reached Paris two hours ago and hadn't moved since." He pointed at the red dot on the screen. "This dot is the signal from the tracker I installed in the plane. I hope he hasn't found it and gotten rid of it."

"Let's hope. So what were you doing now?"

"Trying to confirm that. I'm trying to get a visual and see their exact location. But it's not as easy as I thought. They could be anywhere."

"No shit, Sherlock."

Ricardo jumped as he heard Ana's gloomy voice behind him.

"Damn it, Ana, don't do that! I hate it when you do that."

"Good, makes it a lot more fun." She replied before her brown eyes set their gaze on the screen. "So, any news?"

"They've been in Paris for the last two hours and hadn't moved since. Ricardo was trying to find them, but it's been hard." The smaller girl said as Ricardo recovered from his mini heart-attack.

"Well, Paris is a very big city. I'd finish a 5k jog before you even come close to finding them."

Adriana chuckled at hearing that. Her older sister raised an eyebrow, wondering what she said to make Adriana chuckle, but just shrugged and talked to Ricardo again.

"How exactly do you plan on finding them?"

"I was thinking about checking the security cameras around the place, maybe that way I might find where they are."

"Waste of time. They could even be out of Paris right now. Don't we have anything that can help us track them down?" The leader asked, staring at the map displayed on the screen.

"I don't think so… all we installed was the tracker on the plane. We don't have anything-" Ricardo suddenly stopped talking as a new shine reached his eyes. "My God, of course! Why didn't I think about it before?" He let out as he once again started typing furiously on the keyboard.

Ana and Adriana exchanged glances, wondering what was on Ricardo's mind. However, they didn't say a word, waiting for him to tell them what he was thinking.

"A few weeks ago, I had installed a tracker on each of the brats' PSPs. I remember seeing them playing those stupid games while I was installing the tracker in the plane. So if I find their PSPs…"

"You'll find them." Ana finished.

"Exactly." A few more hits on the keys and suddenly two blue dots appeared on the map.

"Where exactly are they?" Adriana asked, noticing that the two dots weren't very far from the red one.

"Checking it." Ricardo bit his lower lip as he typed a little more. "They're in… a shopping mall?" He immediately proceeded to hack into the security cameras. "I've created a program that has facial recognition. I'll just use the data from our security cameras, aaaaand…" Suddenly a low quality image appeared on the screen. However, it wasn't difficult to recognize Alejandro, Cody and the twins. "Voilá."

Ana bent over a little to take a closer look at the screen.

"Why exactly are they in a fashion store?" she asked.

"No idea. It doesn't make any sense." Ricardo muttered, trying to understand why Alejandro was taking Cody and the twins buying clothes.

In the screen, Cody had just picked some clothes and handed them to the twins. Then Alejandro offered Cody some, making the boy stop, but eventually accept them. Everyone walked towards the changing booths, leaving the camera's sight one by one. However, before he too disappeared, Alejandro sent the camera a mocking smile.

He knew that Ana and her crew were probably watching him.

Ana quickly stood straight and walked upstairs, yelling out. "Mclean, where is my plane?"

* * *

The door opened, and in came the twins, placing the bags with their new clothes on the bed. Cody came right behind them, helping them put their clothes in the closet. He had managed to convince Alejandro to get them some clothes and essentials. After all, the twins were under his charge now.

He sat on the bed and tapped on the spots by his sides. The two kids understood and sat next to him.

"I want you two to promise me something. Stay far away from Alejandro as much as possible. At least when I'm not around. He's not trustworthy."

"Cody, we can take care of ourselves." Patrícia replied.

"Promise me."

"Fine, we promise." Marco agreed. He had to admit, he preferred staying away from Alejandro as much as he could. It was clear that the man was capable of anything.

Cody stood up and walked to the door as he continued speaking. "Alejandro will lock this door while we're travelling. The bathroom is over there, in case you need." He pointed at another door in the room.

"Where are you going?" The dark haired boy asked.

"Alejandro wants me to stay in Chris's room." He opened the door, but turned to them before he walked out. "Don't worry, kids. I'm sure your sister is doing her best to track us down. Until she saves us, you're under my protection. I'll make sure that Alejandro doesn't lay a finger on you."

And with that, he closed the door, the sound of Alejandro locking it being heard immediately after.

Cody walked in front of Alejandro, heading to Chris's room. He had just passed the door when he felt a hand wrap around his wrist. He looked back at Alejandro.

"I'll come back shortly." He tanned teen said.

"Don't even bother." Cody replied coldly. "I'd even prefer if you didn't come." And with that, he shut the door on Alejandro's face.

The bigger male sighed and took out his keys to lock the door.

* * *

The door was suddenly kicked open, startling Chris. Ana walked into the room, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt.

"I asked you for a plane! Where is it?" she yelled.

"T-they refused to give it… I tried to convince them, but they didn't buy it. They won't give us one."

Ana's eyes narrowed. No one said 'no' to her. No one.

"Hand over your phone."

"What?"

"Hand. It. Over." She repeated slowly and menacingly.

Chris complied, not sure if he was doing the right thing. The girl took the phone and called the last number on the history.

"_Hello?_"

"One of my men was in charge of getting a plane from you. Where is it?" she went straight to the point. She heard the guy on the other end sigh.

"_Look, lady, we don't just hand planes over unless we have a good reason._"

"You don't say. You think your job is a good enough reason?" she asked threateningly.

"_Excuse me?_" the man asked.

"I wonder what your boss would do if all their money was suddenly transferred to your account." The girl said, this time a lot more calmly.

"_You wouldn't!_"

"You think I'm just bluffing? Don't send us that plane, and you'll find out if I am."

There was silence on the other end. Clearly the man was deciding whether he should lend them the plane or not. Ana waited patiently for his answer. After all, it wasn't an easy decision.

"_Give me twenty four hours._" He finally said.

"Have it in twelve." She said before hanging up, then looking at Chris. "And that's how you negotiate."

"Negotiate? You blackmailed the guy!"

"Yup, negotiation." She replied.

* * *

It had already been hours since they had lifted off. Cody was glad that Alejandro had done as he requested and didn't come back. The last thing he needed was for him to have the bigger teen around.

He sighed and closed his eyes. He had been lying in Chris's bed, staring at the ceiling, but eventually decided to sleep a little. His mind needed some rest.


	14. Chapter 13: Faith

**Author's Notes: I apologize if the praying scene is not good. I do not exactly know how to pray, but I tried my best at it. I'd appreciate if you tell me if I could improve it and how.**

* * *

**Chapter 13**

_Cody looked at his surroundings. He was in a beach, the waves coming back and forth calmly, the wind blowing gently, and the sun setting in the vast horizon, painting the sky in red and orange._

_He was in an island, staring at the sea, a thick forest right behind him, and the peak of a mountain could be seen from about the middle of the forest._

_He knew that place. It was Total Drama Island!_

_He knew exactly where to go, and immediately started running into the forest, towards the camp. His heartbeat was sped up. He just wished __**he**__ was there. He wanted to see him. He wanted to be embraced in those tanned arms. He wanted to feel safe again._

_He finally got out of the forest. Right there, right before him, was the camp, just how he remembered it. The cabins were the same, the mess hall was close behind… He was in Camp Wawanakwa. He was actually there._

_He started running towards his cabin. Noah had got to be there. If not, then he'd keep searching until he found him._

"_Noah!" he called, his voice echoing in the wind. "Noah‼!" he called again as he opened the door to the cabin._

_Noah wasn't there. There were, however, some other contestants. There were Gwen, Owen, Lindsay and Beth, all talking with each other and smiling. However, when Cody came in to greet them, their smiles disappeared and gave way to frowns. None of them said anything. It was as if they were bothered by his presence._

"_I-Isn't Noah here?" he asked._

_They just kept staring at him, silently requesting him to leave._

"_Oh… okay, I'll… just look somewhere else…" he said, slowly stepping back and closing the door. He shivered. He felt intimidated by the looks they sent him. He started walking to the other cabin._

_As he walked, he crossed ways with Eva and Ezekiel. They, too, sent him that look. Cody couldn't even find the courage to say 'Hi'._

_He knocked on the door to the cabin, then proceeded to push it open. Inside were Duncan, Courtney, Bridgette, Tyler and Harold. Their reaction was exactly the same as the contestants in the other cabin: smiles disappearing, stares set on the thin boy._

_Cody didn't have to ask. Noah wasn't there, and he felt that the others were not willing to tell him. He stepped back and closed the door._

_He ran to the mess hall. Nothing. Completely empty. He turned around and ran to the middle of the camp again. What in Heavens was going on? Where was Noah? And why was everyone looking at him the way they were?_

"_Noah‼!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. "Noah, where are you?"_

"_What do you want, Cody?"_

_He froze. That voice. That voice he longed to hear, the voice he loved. It was Noah!_

"_Noah!"he yelled, turning around. Indeed, Noah was there, staring at him, with his arms crossed. Cody tried to ignore it and went over to him, ready to hug him. But Noah stepped back, still glaring at him. "What's wrong?" the paler teen asked._

"'_What's wrong', Cody? 'What's wrong'? Do you think I'm stupid?"_

_Cody just stared at him in disbelief. "Noah…"_

"_I can't believe you would do such a thing, Cody! I loved you, and you just turned your back on me!"_

"_I… I … I don't understand…"the smaller geek said._

"_Oh really? Why won't you let __**him**__ explain, hmm?" Noah asked, pointing at someone behind Cody. The paler brunette turned around, and his eyes widened._

"_A-Alejandro…"_

_The stronger boy went over to him, wrapping his arms around his thin waist. Cody placed his hands on Alejandro's chest, trying to push him away. He looked back at Noah. "Noah, help me!"_

_The tanned nerd just stared at the other two, pain evident in his gaze. "No need to hide it, Cody. If you had sex with him for the sake of two little kids, then you don't love me."_

"_Noah, no! You don't understand! I do love you! Please, help me!"_

_The know-it-all turned his back to him. "Goodbye, Cody." He said and started walking away._

"_NO‼! NOAH‼!" Cody screamed._

_The sky became dark. Fog formed in the air, making Noah's figure disappear, along with the rest of the camp. Only Cody and Alejandro were left._

"_Do not worry, Cody. You don't need them. Not now that you have me." A large hand slipped under Cody's shirt, moving up to caress the boy's chest._

"_No! Stop it! Noah!" Cody called, still in hopes that Noah would come back for him, protect him from the snake that was wrapped around his body. "Noah, help me! Noah‼!"_

_Alejandro's left hand travelled down and tugged at the waistband of Cody's jeans._

"_Noah‼! HELP‼! NOAH‼!" Cody kept screaming. Noah had to come back. He was sure he would. Noah would came back and save him from this monster, this criminal, this… rapist._

_The hand slipped inside, attacking him, making him scream._

_And still Noah didn't come back._

* * *

Cody screamed and thrashed in his sleep, tears pouring out of his eyes.

"Noah! Help!" he yelled out.

A pair of tanned hands held him by the upper arms, shaking him.

"Cody, wake up! Wake up‼!" A smooth voice called to the boy, waking him.

Cody's eyes opened wide. His irises were contracted and trembles in fear. His body was covered in sweat, and he was breathing very quickly. Tears still ran down his cheeks, his whole body shivering at the memory of… his dream.

It was just a dream. A freaking dream.

"Cody…" Alejandro's voice made him tense, and he finally focused on what was going on. Alejandro was hunched over him, holding him by the upper arms, their faces mere inches from each other as they stared each other in the eye.

And then Cody pushed him off with a scream. "Get off of me!"

Surprised by how Cody was acting, Alejandro allowed himself to be pushed away, though he was still concerned.

"Cody, what's going on?"

"Get outta here! I can't stand looking at you!"

"Cody…"

"I said get out‼!"

Silence filled the airs. Alejandro stared at Cody as the boy sank to his knees and cried. He sighed. "I'll be back in half an hour. By that time you are to get calm, cleaned up and dressed."

Cody just kept sobbing, his loose hair shadowing his face so Alejandro couldn't see it.

"Use the clothes I got for you." The tanned boy continued. "You'll look much better using those. I'll go warn the kids to get dressed too."

He waited for the thinner boy to reply. Nothing. Just desperate sobs and tears.

"Half an hour." He repeated before leaving.

Only when Alejandro was gone did Cody finally lift his head. He stared at the door with miserable eyes, then looked back down, hugging himself. That dreamed had made him realize his biggest fear. He feared the time when Noah would find out what he did. He feared it more than Alejandro himself. Noah would be devastated when he'd find out that Cody had cheated on him for the sake of two little kids. Two little kids he had only met two or three days before.

He stood up. He had half an hour to get ready, wherever they were going. He didn't want to go against Alejandro, not when he knew what the bigger teen was capable of. He'd play 'good boy'. For now.

* * *

The security approached the plane that had just landed. They had been told that Chris McClean was inside that plane, and were to get him immediately.

They waited for McClean to come down the stairs provided. A tanned young man came out, followed by a younger, paler one and two children. The tanned man approached them.

"Good afternoon. I'm Chris McClean, I believe you were expecting me?"

The men stepped aside to give way to the manager of the airport. It was a middle aged, slightly fat man, black hair covering the back of his head, even though the ones at the top have already fallen.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. McClean. Though I couldn't help but noticing you weren't supposed to come."

The tanned man smiled. "Yeah, the plane needs a little check-up. The contestants had to stay behind, Chef is watching over them while they do the challenge." In the meantime, I've decided to bring my nephews and niece to come see Rome. They've been dying to come."

The fat man hesitated for a moment, then decided there was only one way to see if that really was Chris McClean.

"Very well, I just need you to come sign some papers in order to take a look at the plane. Marzio will take you there, just go with him." He said, placing his hand on a younger man's shoulder.

The tanned man thanked and followed Marzio.

* * *

Alejandro smirked as they left the airport. It was just too easy.

The Italians had fallen for his trick perfectly. They actually believed him to be Chris McClean. Even when they asked to sign some papers he had fooled them. He had spent hours practicing Chris's signature, and he was only satisfied when he could perfectly draw it. A smirk formed on his lips. It was all so easy.

"Where are we going anyway?" Patrícia asked as she walked alongside Cody.

"Are we going someplace cool?" Marco asked as well, looking up at Cody.

The pale boy didn't reply. He was too busy in his own little world, thinking of his boyfriend still in Portugal, and what his reaction would be when finding out the truth. He hated thinking about it, but he couldn't stop either. He just wished that Noah would never find out.

Alejandro's voice brought him back to reality.

"We're just making a short visit. I just want to try out some pastas. I heard they're really good. What do you think, Cody?"

The thin geek never raised his gaze from the floor. "Yeah, that sounds nice…" he let out sadly.

The tanned boy frowned at seeing Cody so down. Whatever was bothering him, he wanted to fix it, but he knew that Cody would never tell him what was on his mind. He had no choice but to ignore it and try to make that day worthwhile.

* * *

"Ana?" Duncan called as he came in the basement.

The killer girl stood behind Ricardo, both watching the screen where the dot showing Alejandro's location still glowed bright red.

"What is it?" she asked harshly.

"McClean told me to tell you that the plane is on its way."

The girl's brown eyes set on him. "Tell him to reward the man. I asked him to have it in twelve hours, he got it in ten. I think he deserves a promotion."

The punk smirked. "Well, you've certainly changed. Caring for someone who helps you? You're growing soft, killer."

Before Duncan knew it, he had been thrown against the wall, a hand wrapped around his neck.

"What did you say to me?" Ana yelled out, her grip on her friend/enemy tightening. "Maybe you should repeat it so I can have a reason to pummel you to death!"

The teen with the green mohawk kept smirking. "I haven't seen you ever willing to repay someone for their services, and I've come here a lot. I think someone's presence is melting your cold heart. I'd saaaaay… McClean, maybe?"

Duncan only became more amused when a blush suddenly appeared on Ana's cheeks. A arrogant psycho killer falling in love with a sadistic, hypocrite, blood thirsty host? Who would have guessed?

Seeing that she had blown the cover over her heart, Ana took out a knife and pressed it to Duncan's cheek, right under his left eyes.

"If you dare opening your mouth about this, Duncan, I swear I will take your eyes out with my knife and cut your tongue right after!"

The delinquent's smirk never left his lips. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

"They better be." The brunette let go of Duncan's neck, turning around and walking back to her silent companion.

"But you know," Duncan kept talking. "he won't ever know if you never tell him. A guy like that would surely feel attracted to you."

"No, he doesn't." she replied calmly.

"Oh yeah. Then care to explain that flirting he did with you at the beach?"

"He barely knows me. Once he knows my true side, he'll just walk away, just like all the men I've met. Anyone sane enough would walk away."

"Whoever told you that McClean is sane, they lied."

Ana's gaze met Duncan's once again.

"You should think about it. You really should." The teen with the green mohawk said before leaving, closing the door right behind him.

She just kept staring at the door for a moment. Stupid Duncan, giving her hopes! She was a killer, a murderer, a psycho who does anything to have blood in her hands. She knew she was a monster, and monsters _do not_ fall in love. It would only make her weaker.

She pressed her lips together. Maybe that was why she had failed when rescuing Cody. She had become weaker. All because of that blasted McClean! That guy had to go, the sooner the better.

She felt a gaze set on her and turned around. Her Chinese friend was staring at her, no longer focused on the screen.

"What I said to him? It goes to you too. If this come out of your mouth, you can say goodbye to your dearest tongue!"

Ricardo just raised his hands in defense. "My lips are sealed."

"Yeah, they better. Don't take your eyes off that screen." She ordered before walking upstairs.

* * *

His footsteps echoed in the gigantic, decorated walls. He couldn't help admiring the beautiful paintings of angels and saints, all along with a golden pattern all over the walls, the pillars, the ceiling…

It was marvelous.

Cody kept walking, his eyes never leaving the paintings. They all made him feel at peace, as if the saints were actually there, watching over him.

He kept walking and walking slowly. Every single saint seemed to follow him with their faithful eyes.

He reached the end of the hall, and stopped. He turned his head, and his teal colored eyes set on a statue. He slowly approached it, as if fearing it would break just due to his presence.

When he was just a few feet away from it, he stopped. It was a statue of Virgin Mary, holding her already dead son, silently mourning her loss.

Cody's eyes shone with sadness. He felt just like her, losing everything that he cared for, not being able to do anything but shed tears. He hated the feeling. He hated feeling powerless, helpless.

He kneeled in front of the statue, and started talking to her, as if she could actually hear him.

"Virgin Mary… I know you probably have already heard many prayers, many requests… I know you must be tired of having people asking for pitiful things, when you've lost something so important and didn't have anyone to turn to for help… but we're not that different… Just like you, I've lost someone very dear to me. I've lost my family, my lover… and my loyalty… I've become unfaithful to him…" He shut his eyes, the tears finally coming out to roll down his cheeks. "I… I-I am not asking for help… All I ask for is for forgiveness. Forgive me for the sin I've committed… Forgive me for turning my back on the one I love, and just… keep me from losing hope. I wish to have faith. I have faith that one day I'll be back in his arms. Please… that's all I have left… don't take that away from me…"

He finally opened his eyes and stood up, once again looking at the statue. It was still in the same position it was before. The Virgin Mary just sat there, still holding her dead son in her arms, still mourning. The pale geek sighed.

"Thank you for listening…" he let out before finally turning around and walking away, towards the exit, towards the man that had caused him such suffering.

But he still had faith. And while he did, he would keep fighting.

* * *

Alejandro sighed as he waited for Cody to come back. The pale boy had showed interest in entering the church of the Vatican, even though no words came from his mouth. Alejandro had then decided he would take Cody there. Maybe the gesture would open up his heart, and make him look at the bigger male with different eyes.

He stared at the kids. The two seemed fascinated by the drawings, as if they told a marvelous tale. It was no wonder, kids were still kids. They would see an adventure wherever they were.

He, on his behalf, didn't exactly find those drawings that much appealing. The saints never smiled, they either stood serious or cried. He found it depressing, actually.

But Cody was a Christian, and liked being so. And if Cody was happy, then he, too would be happy.

A figure walked in the hall towards them. He kept getting closer and closer, only stopping next to Alejandro.

"You ready to go?" he asked gently.

Cody nodded, his gaze still set on something, just so he wouldn't feel tempted to look his kidnapper in the eye.

"Let's go then. Hey, brats!" Alejandro called.

Patrícia and Marco, regardless of the insult, stepped away from the walls and followed the two teens, already heading to a bus station to catch a bus that would take them back to the airport.


	15. Chapter 14: Where are the twins?

**Author's Notes: First of all, my sincere apologies for having taking so long updating. Last summer holidays were a mess, and when college started again my holidays were barely enough for me to get ready for the exams. I'm sure you all understand that priorities had to be established.**

**Anyway, here is, finally, the new chapter. I know, it isn't a big deal, but hopefully I'll manage to update more soon.**

* * *

**Chapter 14**

Astana is a big, modern city. Buildings of all kind, old and new, short or tall, could be found all over the city.

Cody watched the two kids that walked in front of him. It was amazing how the twins were so united. He had to admit, he was happy that the two were allowed to be together. Their union was a great asset to help them get through the current situation they were all in.

The thin brunette's expression became gloomy as he remembered who was to blame for such a thing. It was the young man that walked by his side. The same man that just kept glancing at him every now and then. He heard the other male sigh.

"Cody, you don't honestly intend on ignoring me forever, do you?"

"Yes" he replied coldly, not even looking at the other boy. That is, until he was forced to.

Alejandro held Cody by the upper arms and brought him closer to him, forcing their gazes to meet.

"Listen here, Cody. You belong to me now. Forget your past life, it's behind you. Your future is to be with me, and there's nothing you can do to change that." The tanned teen stated.

Cody just narrowed his eyes at him.

"Try as you might, Al, but my heart will always belong to Noah." He replied coldly.

The Latino teen flinched as he heard the name 'Noah'.

"I thought I told you never to mention _him_ again." He said firmly, his tone clearly showing that he was losing his patience.

"You think that if I stop mentioning him I'll forget him? That will never happen! No matter what you do, I won't forget him!"

The bigger male's grasp tightened, making Cody wince in pain.

"You're stepping out of the line, Cody." Alejandro's tone was calm, but dangerously serious. "I'm getting sick of playing this game. And tonight, I assure you, I'm going to punish you for talking back to me the way you just did."

The small geek glared at him, swallowing his fear, before wiggling away from his grasp. Alejandro didn't say anything more. He just stood there, staring back at him with a frown, mentally daring him to try and run away, just like he had tried in Ukraine, when they had stopped to refuel.

Cody and the twins had tried to run away while Alejandro watched over the refueling. Fortunately, and with the help of a few personnel from the airport, Alejandro had managed to catch them before they got into a bus that would take them to the center of the city. If they got into the middle of Kiev, Alejandro wouldn't stand a chance to find them, no matter how many people helped him.

Since then, the Latino boy had decided that he wouldn't make the same mistake again. He made a mental note to never lay his eyes off Cody or the twins again.

The smaller boy pressed his lips together in anger. He knew he wouldn't succeed if he tried to escape, and that fact infuriated him. He lifted his gaze off of Alejandro to look back at where the twins were.

His eyes widened, and he grew pale.

"Where are the twins?"

* * *

Everyone watched as the plane landed on the dark concrete.

The killer crew had already packed everything up, getting ready for the trip, hoping to catch Alejandro on time. Ana stared at the plane as it slowly approached them.

"What happened to you, Chris? You actually brought a decent airplane?" Courtney asked skeptically. It was unlike Chris McLean to do anything decent for the cast.

"What can I say? I have a heart of gold." Chris said smugly to mock the girl.

"Ok, let's cut the crap and get in that plane." Ana said, grabbing her bag and approaching the plane, only for McLean to stop her.

"Actually, we still have to wait for the people to get out." He said. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"McLean, what did you do?" she asked threateningly.

"Hey, like I said, I have a heart of gold. Some people needed a lift." The show host looked back at the plane. The stairs were placed next to it, and the door opened. Out of the plane came none other than the other Total Drama contestants, followed by Cody's parents.

"You gotta be kidding me." Ana said, rubbing the bridge of her nose in annoyance.

Beth was the first to come over to them, instantly, launching herself at Noah and embrace him in a tight hug. "How are you feeling, Noah?" she asked nicely, to which the know-it-all just raised an eyebrow.

"Peachy, completely peachy." He said sarcastically.

Beth wasn't minimally affected by the harsh tone. She already expected Noah to be in such a mood, and she would be lying if she said she didn't understand.

Everyone gave Noah comforting words and pats on the back, but none made him feel any better. Lastly came Cody's parents. Cody's mother was a thin, blonde woman with caring, teal colored eyes. Noah always thought Cody was a lot like his mother, both in beauty and in character.

The woman went over to him, her hand finding her way to the tanned boy's shoulder. Her husband stood by her.

Mr. Anderson was strong, yet elegant raven man. There wasn't a single white hair on his head, all his short hair was combed back, and a black mustache covered his upper lip.

"I think you should start telling us how our son got in the hands of another man, Akamai." The man said firmly.

Mrs. Anderson looked up at him. "Honey, please. This hurts him as much as it hurts us." She said, before looking back at Noah. "We are all sorry for what happened, but be sincere with me, Noah. Is there any chance of… Cody still being alive?…"

Noah noticed that she was having difficulty asking that question, as if fearing to know the answer.

"There are a few." Noah replied, his mask breaking a little. The gaze in his eyes became a softer, guilty one. "I noticed that Alejandro kept looking at him with interest. If only I had realized sooner…"

"Now, honey, don't blame yourself." Mrs. Anderson said, once again gaining Noah's attention. "You're not the one to blame for this."

"That's right, Alejandro Burromuerto is to blame. And if you'll excuse us, we're in a hurry to catch him." And interrupted their moment, passing by them to throw her bag into the plane. The other members of her team did the same.

They were about to get in the plane, when Noah stops them.

"Wait!" Everyone looked at Noah, who walked over to them. "I'm going with you." He said, to which everyone's eyes widened.

"Out of the question. This is a rescue mission, the last thing I need is to have to watch over you." Ana replied, turning back to the plane, only for the know-it-all to grab her by the wrist.

"This may be _your_ rescue mission, psycho killer, but your rescuing _my_ boyfriend! If anyone is going to hold him the moment you save him, it's gonna be me, you hear?!"

Silence. The leader of the group stared him in the eye.

"If 'Turkey' wants to go, then I'm with him." LeShawna also stepped forward.

"When a friend is in need, it's our duty to help him." Harold joined the two.

Soon enough Trent, Duncan, Sierra, Gwen and Izzy jojned the others, all willing to participate in the rescue.

"You're aware that you will all have to do as I say, right?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Noah replied with a serious face.

"Very well then." Ana walked over to Heather, placing an arm around her shoulders. "What about you, my dear Heather? Are you just going to let you dearest friend Ana Carreira leave on such a mission and not tag along?" The killer mocked, to which Heather narrowed her eyes.

"As if! All you do is hurt me whenever I open my mouth!"

"Exactly my point, my dear. Now how could I have fun in such a trip without you around, hmm?" Ana brought her closer to her.

And then she smiled.

The sky became cloudy, thunder could be heard far away. The ground became dark, and the plants withered.

"We could have lots and lots of fun…"

Heather froze as she stared into Ana's eyes. Her dark brown irises seem to have grown, suddenly becoming grey, and her smirk was so broad it seemed like it was tearing her face. The raven haired girl started to sweat. This was scary, this was really really scary!

"OK I'LL GO JUST STOP MAKING THAT FACE!" she yelled out in panic. Everything changed back to normal in a single second. Ana's smile disappeared, the sky became bright blue again, the ground changed back into green, the plants all returned to life.

"Good." Ana said, letting go of the girl. "I'm glad we managed to reach an agreement." She grabbed the taller girl by the shirt, pulling her behind her and towards the plane.

"Everybody get in that plane! The faster we get to Burromuerto, the faster I'll get rid of all of you!" she yelled out.

Everyone walked up the stairs, including McLean and Chef. Chef was the only one who half knew how to steer a plane, and Chris… well, he simply couldn't skip on watching Ana mess with the cast.

* * *

"Marco! Patrícia!" Cody called desperately as he walked through the crowd. "Children, where are you?"

Alejandro walked right beside him, not calling for the kids, but looking around, trying to spot them.

"Alejandro, where could they have gone?…"

The tanned teen didn't answer, his eyes still scanning the area around them. Perfect, just perfect. It was exactly what he needed, two kids to wander around and blow his cover.

He wondered where two little 10-year-old brats would probably go to. The toy store? The candy store? Where?

That's when a specific store catches his eye. He smirks. Yes, they would definitely be there.

"Children!" Cody's desperate calling brought him back from his thoughts. He gave the smaller boy a tap on the shoulder.

"Cody, I think I know where they are." He said, which immediately caught Cody's attention.

"Really? Where, Al? Where are they?"

The Latino teen just smiled, looking back at the store he had noticed before. The small geek followed his gaze, his teal eyes soon staring at the store as well.

"Of course, the videogames store!"

* * *

"At this rate, we'll be in Italy in just a matter of hours." The wolf girl said as she traced a red line on the map.

"Good. We need all the time we can get. Ricardo, where are they right now?" the leader asked.

"They're still in Astana. They stopped inside a building, I don't know why." The Chinese boy replied, looking at the two dots on the screen.

"They're already dangerously close… let's hope they take their time getting there." She looked around the room where the table and all their material was in, then looked back at her crew. "Where's Adriana?"

"She's with that Trent dude. Something about learning to play new songs or something." Ricardo replied, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"It better just be normal songs." The crazy girl said, storming off to the main room, where all the others were. He immediately spotted her younger sister, playing guitar along with Trent as they sang in unison.

She crossed her arms. Feeling the tension in the air, Adriana looked up at her, the song suddenly stopping. She got up and walked over to the killer.

"He was just teaching me a song, that's all." She said

Ana's dark eyes set their gaze on Trent once again. He didn't seem like he was having any bad thoughts. At least, not at the moment.

"If he tries anything he shouldn't," she looked back at her younger sister. "you better tell me immediately."

Adriana nodded with a smile, going back to sit next to Trent. Ana rubbed her forehead as turned back around. She found herself face-to-face with Chris.

"What do you want, McLean?"

"Aww, you're not going to beat Trent up?" The raven haired man asked.

"As good as that idea sounds, I won't. Adriana is at a good age to fall in love. I can't stop her from falling for him. Besides," she walked around Chris, going back to the room where the rest of her crew were. "If she falls in love, she won't end up like me."

"Icy?"

She sent him one last glance. "Mad."

* * *

Cody was the first one to run inside the videogames store. There was nothing to it, really. It was obvious that the store had opened recently, for there were still many boxes of games piled up at a corner. And right there, next to the pile, the twins were playing a fighting game, one against the other.

Suddenly, Patrícia starts jumping excitedly. "Yeah! Beat ya again. Wooo!"

Marco, on the other hands, looked like he was close to dying. "Five times… Beaten five times by my sister… Kill me, just kill me now…"

The slightly chubby girl ignored him, continuing on with her happy dance, already starting to annoy him. He suddenly grinned mischievously.

Patrícia stopped dancing when she saw what her brother was holding. It was one of those really small basketballs.

"Think fast!" he yelled, throwing the ball at his twin with as much strength as he could muster.

What he wasn't expecting was for her to actually think fast and dodge the ball. Instead, it hit the huge pile of boxes.

"Ha! Missed me!" she yelled out in victory, right before hearing a creak behind her. She turned around, and the two twins' eyes widened as they saw the huge, heavy pile starting to give in.

Everyone at the store stopped what they were doing as a skinny boy at the entrance screamed a loud "NOO!", and then a huge crash was heard.


	16. Chapter 15: Hero or Criminal?

**Chapter 15**

Everything seemed to go in slow motion: the huge pile falling upon them, Cody's terrified scream, everyone else's gasps, and the two tanned, strong arms that wrapped around them.

Before the twins knew it, they were lying on the floor, someone hunched over them as the pile fell over them, followed by two more. Everything was dark, but their rapid breathing could still be heard.

Cody rushed to the pile, immediately starting to remove the boxes. Soon enough he was being helped by both employees and customers. Soon enough a few of the boxes were removed.

Cody stopped, staring at the ones that had ended under the pile.

The twins had ended up with their backs on the floor, side by side. Alejandro was on top of them, protecting them from the heavy boxes that almost crushed them. It was clear that he was making a big effort not to fall right on top of the two kids.

The thin geek immediately acted, pulling each of the twins from under Alejandro so the tanned boy could relax. Which was exactly what he did the moment the kids were away from him. He let himself fall on the floor with a pained groan.

Soon everyone managed to remove the rest of the boxes off of him, and Cody rushed to help him up. It took him a while, but Alejandro finally managed to stand again. He was bombarded with questions, people asking if he was okay, if they needed to call an ambulance.

"I'm fine." He let out, starting to walk to the door, regardless of everyone's insistence.

* * *

The door to the room opened, and Cody helped Alejandro over to sit on the bed.

"Patrícia, sweetie, could you go find a bucket and fill it with cold water?" Cody asked, to which the girls nodded and ran out to get what she was asked for. "And Marco, I'll need and ice pack and two pieces of cloth, okay?" The boy ran out of the room as well to get his set of items.

The thin geek started unbuttoning Alejandro's shirts, slipping it off of his shoulders. The Spanish boy couldn't help being surprised at Cody's actions.

"Let me see." Cody asked, to which Alejandro responded by slightly turning his back to him.

Cody flinched at what he saw. Alejandro's back was filled with cuts and bruises.

"You're a mess. We need to have these taken care of." The pale brunette said.

It didn't take long for the twins to come back with the things they were asked to bring. Cody grabbed the ice pack and wrapped it on one of the pieces of cloth, then gently pressed it on Alejandro's head. Taking the hint, the Latino teen held it there.

"Children, why don't you go play some videogames in the first class? Alejandro and I need to have a little talk." Cody said, to which the two kids immediately obeyed, more than happy to go play their dear videogames. The thin geek gently closed the door.

"Those brats and their damn videogames nearly killed me." Alejandro let out lowly as Cody approached him. The smaller boy dipped the second cloth in the cold water and started cleaning Alejandro's wounds.

"Well I think you did a great thing, Alejandro. Not everyone would risk their own skin to save two little kids." He said with a smile.

Alejandro sighed. "As much as I hate to admit it, those two are good kids. They're just far too clumsy." Cody finished cleaning the wounds and started bandaging Alejandro's head and back. Soon every single cut was covered in bandages. "I swear, if those two disappear on me again, I'll-"

"Rest." Cody interrupted him.

"What?" Alejandro hadn't quite registered that. He received a kind smile and a gentle push as a reply.

"You need to rest. You deserve it."

"No! We gotta leave soon."

"We can leave later, Alejandro. For now, you gotta rest." Cody insisted. Alejandro was about to try and get up again, but stopped when Cody placed each of his hands on his cheeks. "We're not going anywhere, Alejandro. I promise." He said.

"I don't believe you. You already tried to run away from me."

"That was a different day." Cody said, walking around the bed and lying down next to the tanned teen. "Today, you're a hero."

* * *

Like Tahira had said, it only took them a few hours to get to Rome. They took the chance to refuel.

Chris found Ana and the crew at the room where they liked to meet. They were getting ready to leave.

"Ana, where the Hell are you going? I thought we had someone to catch."

"We do, I just want to visit a little friend."

"Are you shitting me?!"

At hearing McLean's outburst, she turned to him. Her eyes showed clear will to strangle. He took the hint.

"We'd like to leave in one and a half hours." He said.

"More than enough time. Try not to miss me too much." She said.

"Wouldn't think of it." Mclean couldn't help the slight smile that formed on his lips.

* * *

They didn't have to walk much. Just fifteen minutes were enough for them to reach their destination: an abandoned building in a well hidden alley.

"Time to have some fun, my friends." Ana let out amusingly.

"I-I'm not sure about this…" Ricardo said, feeling a little apprehensive about the whole thing.

"Don't worry, all you have to do is be quiet and stay pretty. We'll handle the rest." The leader replied before knocking on the old, thick, wooden door.

The door opened just a bit, and a skinny, dark haired man peeked through. His eyes widened the moment he spotted the crew.

"Surprise, motherfucker." was Ana's compliment before the guy screamed in fear and shut the door once again. The leader of the crew rolled her eyes before casually stepping away from the wall she had been leaning again. "Tahira?"

Her friend took the hint, going over to the door and delivering a hard kick to it. It immediately gave way, the Italian man stepping back, terrified.

"Knock knock." The wolf girl let out, her wolf immediately tackling the man to the ground.

Ana walked over to him, crouching down right next to the man.

"Julius, my dear little leech."

"Miss Carrera, I swear! I didn't do anything wrong! I-I haven't stepped in Portugal since we've last seen each other!" The man begged, fearing for his life.

She rubbed her forehead impatiently. "Julius, I am in a bit of a hurry here, so you better cooperate."

Tahira and Adriana forced the man to sit on a chair. Julius just stared at the leader.

"First of all, I'm glad to know you haven't stepped foot in Portugal since. Good boy." She started. "Now, secondly, I'm looking for a guy. You're the only one that has eyes watching every single inch of this place."

Julius suddenly relaxed, realizing that he wasn't in danger.

"So… you're here just looking for information."

"Bingo, we have a winner." She took a photograph out of her pocket. The photo of Alejandro Burromuerto. "How long has this guy left Italy?"

The man stared at the picture, then looked up at her. "Why would you be following this man?"

"It's what I do to criminals, my dear Julius. I find them and kill them." She grabbed him by the front of his shirt, bringing him closer to her. "If you cooperate, he'll be taking your place in my 'To Kill' list."

Julius held the photo, staring at it. "So he's a criminal."

"Yes, there is no doubt about that. You may just be a petty little thief, but him?" She replied, letting go of the man and standing straight. "That guy right there, on that photo, is without a doubt, a criminal."


	17. Chapter 16: Still there

**Chapter 16**

The first thing Alejandro noticed was that it was dark. Very dark.

He sat up with a groan. His body still ached, mainly his back, and the pain made sitting up all the more difficult. He looked around. He was still in Chris's room, in the plane. He rubbed his forehead, trying to remember how he ended up like that, sleeping in the suite.

_Today, you're a hero._

Alejandro's eyes widened as he remembered Cody's words.

"Cody..." he looked at the other side of the bed, where Cody had lied the night before. He wasn't there. The Spanish teen got up in a dash and ran to the door. It wasn't locked.

"Damn it!" he took out his gun. It was clear to him now. Cody and the twins took the chance to run away. Again.

As he walked into first class, he heard a noise coming from the kitchen. He turned to the door and pointed the weapon at whoever it was.

His eyes met Marco's brown ones, and he stood like that, frozen, still pointing the gun at the boy. They both just stood there, silent.

And then the kid let out a loud scream, running back into the kitchen.

Alejandro sighed, putting the gun away. "Great, now that kid is gonna need therapy..." he let out to himself before also going into the kitchen.

For a moment he didn't know how to react. Patrícia was sitting at the table, a dirty, empty plate in front of her, playing videogames. In the meantime, Cody was cooking something on the stove. They were still there. They were all still there...

He noticed Marco had rushed to the thin teenager's side, not taking his eyes off of Alejandro.

The tanned teen walked over to them, and Cody turned around, frowning at him.

"Do you actually like kids so much to the point of aiming a gun at their faces?" the brunette asked, crossing his arms.

Alejandro looked at Marco apologetically. "Sorry about that." he said. "I heard noise and just reacted like that."

The small raven haired boy narrowed his eyes. "You point guns at people whenever you hear noise?" he asked rhetorically.

"Most times it's not by accident." the bigger male retorted, warning Marco to mind his tone.

The kid stuck out his tongue at him before running off to sit in front of his sister.

"Real mature, Marco." Patrícia commented, still playing the game.

"Just up and hand that thing to me, it's my turn." he replied.

Cody turned back to the food.

"I was making soup for you. I figured that you'd probably be hungry once you woke up." he said. "And I thought chicken soup would make you feel better."

"Thanks." Alejandro let out, approaching the smaller teen. "Cody... You know you had the chance to..." he couldn't bring himself to say it. In fact, he was already afraid he'd said too much. He was giving Cody ideas to run away.

"To leave?" Cody finished Alejandro's sentence. "Can't say it hadn't crossed my mind, but... you're hurt. I couldn't just leave you here, not when you needed help."

"I'm not that hurt, you know." the tanned teen responded, which earned him a hit on the back with the wooden spoon. It wasn't a hard hit, it had actually been a very light one. However, it was enough to make him wince and let out a low yelp.

"Of course you're not." Cody replied ironically, pouring the soup into a plate and handing it to him. "Eat. You need it."

Alejandro muttered a "Thank you." as he grabbed the plate, then walked to the table, sitting right next to Patrícia. Soon enough Cody joined them, bringing another plate with soup for himself.

"Okay, hand it over, it's my turn now." she told her brother.

"What? No way, I just started!" Marco replied, pulling his game away from Patrícia's reach.

"You already did two levels, I only did one! Hand it over!"

"No!"

Patrícia launched herself over the table to take the game from her brother's hands. They both fought for it, each one pulling on it. That is, until a bigger, tanned hand grabbed it and roughly pulled it away from them.

"Enough!" Alejandro yelled out as he took the game away from the two, gathering their and Cody's attention. "This game is getting to your heads. Until you cool down, your precious little entertainment box will stay with me, understood?"

The twins stared at Alejandro first, then looked at Cody, giving him the puppy eyes look, silently begging him to make Alejandro give them back their game. Cody had to make great effort not to smile at their attempt.

"I think you two should go wash your hands. That will give you enough time to calm down, don't you think?" the thin boy suggested.

Patrícia and Marco looked disappointed as they realized that their little trick didn't work with the two teens. They stood up with no more words and walked to the bathroom.

"Their sister may have not killed me, but I swear, those two will." Alejandro commented, placing the game onto the table and going back to his food.

Cody didn't answer him. He grabbed the PSP that was responsible for all the commotion. "When I was their age, I was also addicted to these things." He admitted, fondling with it, pressing various buttons.

The Latino teen just shrugged. "I never paid much mind to them."

The geek took a good look at the contents of the object. He looked over all the applications, and noticed that the calendar had a notice on it. He opened the application, and his eyes widened a bit as he saw the notice.

"What did you find, Cody?" Alejandro became curious as to what had gotten such a reaction out of the thin geek. Cody handed him the PSP, and Alejandro looked at the notice. He shrugged. "What about it?"

Cody sent him a look, as if asking if Alejandro was serious. "It's tomorrow."

"Your point?"

The geek rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. "Alejandro, this is very special for kids this age."

"I don't care, I'm not their father."

"And they won't be with their real one tomorrow thanks to you." the smaller teen retorted.

Alejandro chose to ignore him, going back to eating his soup. And then he felt a soft hand land onto his. He looked up, staring Cody in the eye.

"Please, Alejandro." Cody insisted.

"No."

"Please..." his tone had turned into a begging one, and he seemed to be close to tears.

They stared at each other for a few moments, and then Alejandro sighed. He hated when he made Cody cry, and he hated how Cody could easily use his cuteness to his own advantage.

"Fine. We'll take care of it in our next stop."

This earned him a big smile, the gap between Cody's teeth showing. "Oh, Alejandro, thank you..."

"Okay, we're cool now, can we have our game back please?" Patrícia interrupted the moment as she and her brother walked back into the kitchen.

* * *

"I want you to teach me how to fight."

Ana's gaze left the map to look at a small, tanned teen.

"Noah, right?" she always had problems memorizing names. Not that she really cared all that much. Few actually deserved that she'd waste her time trying to remember their names. "Look, Noah, this isn't some damn action movie. You're not going to learn how to fight in mere hours."

"But I can learn the right spots. All I want is to learn how to throw a mean punch... to be like you."

"Don't try to be like me. You don't wanna become someone like me. Besides, why would you want to learn so badly anyway?"

"Because there is no way in Hell I'm letting you have Alejandro all to yourself!" Noah replied in a determined tone.

The assassin raised an eyebrow in interest.

"So you want to have some fun, is that it?"

"You have no idea how true that sentence is."

"Well, sorry, nerd, I don't share." Ana looked back down at the map, only to find herself suddenly staring at a tanned hand, firmly pressed against the paper, keeping her from reading it. Noah was not letting it go that easily.

"Well, start learning, psycho, because like it or not, Alejandro's neck is mine to break!" the Indian boy yelled out, making sure that everyone in the room could hear him. So what if Ana would kill him for yelling at her? All he wanted was to have Alejandro's blood in his hands and bring Cody back to safety. After that, she could use him as a punching bag for as long as she wished.

Ana sat up slowly, and they stared at each other in silence, the other members of the crew sending them a quick glance, then going back to their affairs, showing absolutely no interest in the conversation. It was as if it was the most boring thing they ever heard.

"I like you, Noah. You may be small, but you sure have a big pair of balls." She walked around the table, grabbing Noah by the arm roughly and dragging him along. They stopped by Tahira's side. Bane looked up in curiosity, as if wanting to hear what the duo wanted with his owner.

"Tahira knows more about the body's sensitive spots than I do." Ana admitted before looking back at her friend. "Is it okay with you?"

"No problem." The wolf girl said, looking up at them. "You know I like challenges."

"Very well then. You may start when you feel like it." With that, the leader left to go stand next to Ricardo, the two of them looking at the screen of his computer, looking for any changes.

"So," Tahira called for Noah's attention. "What made you come to the point of asking us to teach you how to fight?"

"You want an honest answer?" The know-it-all asked, receiving an interested nod as an answer. "I want to have blood on my hands. I'm sure you know whose."

Tahira let out a smirk. "That's the spirit. Now come on, let's start with the basics."


	18. Chapter 17: Hong Kong

**Chapter 17**

Hong Kong had always fascinated him. Maybe it were the tall buildings, or the wonderful lights, or even the fascinating ways of the people. To Cody, it was a city to admire. It was like a Chinese New York, but… different, somehow.

"I don't suppose you two ever tried Chinese food?" he heard Alejandro ask the twins. The two children shook their heads, clear curiosity in their eyes. "Well then, how about we try some today? I've heard their noodles are quite the specialty over here."

Their eyes became brighter as they realized what that meant. They looked up at Cody.

"Are you really taking us to eat Chinese food?!" Patrícia asked excitedly, which earned her a smile from the geeky teen.

"Well I don't see why not. We are in China after all." He said.

The twins simply couldn't hide their excitement. They had always wanted to try Chinese food. Real Chinese food, not the imitations that the restaurants back in Portugal would serve them. No, they were in traditional grounds now.

"Let's go there!" Marco said, pointing at a modern-looking restaurant. It was clear it was a brand new restaurant, recently open for business.

The group of four walked inside. They were immediately greeted by a young man, still in his early twenties.

"Good afternoon, foreigners. What may I help you with?" he asked sweetly with a bright smile.

"Hello. We were wondering if you'd have space for us right now." Alejandro told the young man.

"Why of course, honorable sir. Table for two?"

"Four, actually." The tanned young man replied, which made the waiter stretch over the counter to look at the other side. The Chinese man smiled brighter as he spotted the twins.

"Ah, yes, my apologies, I could not see you two there. Please, follow me, gentlemen and young lady, I'll take you to a table."

The four did as they were told, and soon they were led to a table by the wall, in a quieter zone of the restaurant.

"This place seems nice." Cody pointed out. "You sure have an eye for restaurants, Marco."

"You have no idea." Patrícia commented, which earned her a glare from her brother.

"Here are the menus, honorable guests." The young man said as he handed two menus to them: one for the kids and another for Cody and Alejandro. Then he proceeded to take out a little notebook to write down their orders.

Everything in the menus was well described: the kind of noodles, the condiments, the number of calories each one had, everything. It didn't take long for the group to decide what they wanted to eat and drink, and once the orders were made, the young man bowed with a smile and walked back to the counter. He ripped out the small paper and handed it over to the waitress, a fine young lady, with her long, black hair tied in a loose ponytail.

"Is it them?" she inquired in Chinese.

"Definitely." The young man replied. "Take care of the orders first, so he won't suspect. Then, call her."

The woman nodded before making her way to the kitchen, and the waiter went back to the counter close to the door.

* * *

The cast was particularly moody that day. Well, it was normal, since Chris found it a great idea to wake them up with a megaphone at 6 am.

"I swear, one day, I'll make Chris pay for all he's been doing!" Heather let out, enraged.

"Good luck with that, sistah." LeShawna replied. "Killer chick really digs McLean over there. If they're already like this alone, you don't wanna mess with them when they're together, honey."

"Even better! I'll make them both pay! No one messes with me and gets away with it!"

"Is that so?"

Heather felt a cold rush go through her. That voice came from right behind, and she knew full well who it was. All of her will to challenge Ana was suddenly gone, replaced by nothing but fear. She refused to move. If she stared into the other's eyes, she knew it would only make her feel even more fear.

"Why so quiet, Heather? I don't bite. Maybe Tahira might, but I don't." Ana let out in amusement. The taller teen gulped. "Fortunately for you, I'm not in the mood today. I've got other things on my mind."

Heather stood stiff as the shorter teen walked pass her without another word.

"Don't get your hopes up. She might not be in the mood, but if you mess with her today, you're still gonna regret it tomorrow." Ricardo said as he stood next to the Canadian girl.

"What's with your freaky leader anyway? Don't tell me you psychos have a day off." She replied.

"It's the twins' birthday. She might be a blood thirsty assassin, but she still cares about her family. It would hurt anyone."

Heather scoffed. "Like I would care about a duo of annoying brats."

The Asian boy looked at her. "You don't have any siblings, do you?" he asked.

"Of course not! Why on Earth would I?"

"You're right, it was a stupid question." Ricardo agreed as he started walking away. "If my kid had a face like yours, I wouldn't want anymore either."

It took her a moment to realize what he meant. "Why you little-" she was cut off when none other than Bane ran in front of her, making her trip on him. "Ah! Stupid wolf!" she yelled at him. The wild animal just growled at her in response, still not letting go of the object in his mouth. He resumed his running to go stand in front of Ana, looking at her, silently telling her that he had something for her.

The brunette reached for his mouth and took the object from him. It was her cell phone. She looked back at her second in command, who had just walked into the room with Noah. "Your dog is failing, Tahira. My phone wasn't ringing."

"Oh, he didn't miss, Ana. If he gave you the phone, it's gonna ring soon." The taller girl replied.

And, just as she predicted, the phone started ringing. Ana raised an eyebrow at the wolf. "Nice job, Bane." She click on the answer button and brought the object to her ear. "Carreira."

"_The package has arrived._" A woman's voice sounded from the other end. Ana could immediately recognize that voice. It was one of her friends, a young Chinese woman who had been in Portugal for a few years. She was talking to her in codes, in case the 'package' could hear her.

"Are the twins with them?"

"_Yes, the extras came undamaged as well._"

"Good. Thank you, Fanxiang. Will you be able to keep an eye on them through the day? I want to know when they are leaving."

"_Not me, but I know someone available to receive it. Shall I contact them?_"

"Yes, give them this number. Tell them they'll be rewarded once all of this is done." The assassin instructed.

"_Very well then, they'll be there to pick it up._"

"Good. Thank you again, Fanxiang." Ana replied before hanging up. She looked for Chris. "McLean!"

The man jumped from the seat he was in at hearing her shout his name. "What?" he asked grumpily.

"Is the fuel enough for us to skip that stop in China?"

He thought about it for a moment. "Depends on where you want to go."

"Japan." She answered.

He hissed. "Sorry, the fuel is enough to go further than Hong Kong, but not all the way to Japan."

She narrowed her eyes. "What about Beijing?"

"Well, we're already half-way through China, but I think it might be enough to reach it, yeah."

"Then we're changing to Beijing. Tell your black friend to change the route."

"Can do. And his name is Chef."

"Tell someone who cares." She replied.

* * *

He watched as his workmate hung up the phone. She looked at him.

"Go find Xiang." She told him in Chinese as she grabbed a piece of paper and started writing on it. "I need him to go pick up these orders in that address. Go on." She folded the paper and handed it to him, who nodded, telling her that he understood what she meant by that code, and left. Fanxiang walked back to her guests with a smile.

"How are you finding the food, honorable guests?" she asked.

"It's delicious, I haven't tasted anything so good in a long time." Cody admitted with a smile.

"It'z gweat!" The twins said in unison, with their mouths full.

She nodded with a pleased smile.

"Miss, can I ask you something?" Alejandro asked as he beckoned her closer. The woman walked over to him and bent over so he could whisper at her ear. After a while, she smiled.

"Well, asking me this so suddenly, you might have to wait an extra 20 minutes."

"We can wait." Alejandro replied, to which Fanxiang nodded before leaving.

Patrícia and Marco exchanged glances, wondering what Alejandro was up to. Could it be that he knew who Fanxiang was? Had he figured out that they had purposely led him to her restaurant?

That's when they noticed Cody. He was smiling at Alejandro. The two were up to something. But if Cody was part of it, the twins knew that everything was okay.


	19. Chapter 18: Happy Birthday

**Chapter 18**

Patrícia and Marco just sat there, staring wide-eyed as a big cake was placed in front of them. It was a simple cake, covered in cream and fruit, and eleven candles firmly placed at one end, and an edible paper card with the words Happy Birthday on the other.

"How did you know?" Patrícia asked, looking up at the two teenagers.

"We found out yesterday, through your PSP." Cody replied with a smile. "Come on, children, make a wish." He encouraged.

Soon the two siblings were smiling widely and blowing the candles, each one mentally making their wish. Alejandro and Cody clapped at that.

"Happy Birthday, Patrícia and Marco." The geeky teenager let out with a big smile as he grabbed a big knife. "Now, let's cut that cake."

* * *

"Something just doesn't add up…"

Tahira looked at her leader. "What do you mean?"

"I was thinking about this detour we did. For someone who wants to go to Japan, it's faster and more economic going this way. So why did Alejandro go all the way to Hong Kong, and only then will he go to Japan? There's something we don't know."

"There are many possibilities." The two looked at Ricardo. "He could be trying to lose us by making us think he's go forward instead of going to Japan. Or there's also something important happening there. Or maybe he just wants to travel around and… ahem, set the mood with Cody."

At hearing this, Noah stood up from the couch. "What do you mean, 'set the mood'?" he asked abruptly.

"Calm down, Akamai." Ana ordered.

"No, I won't calm down! Not until you tell what Alejandro is planning!"

"And we won't tell you, because we don't know. Ask him when we catch him."

"It might be too late then!" The tanned teen was starting to lose his patience.

"Boo-hoo, Akamai, we all have problems."

"How can you be so cool about this?! Your siblings are in there too, have you forgotten that?!"

Ana pressed her lips together tight. "No, Akamai, I have not. But getting all messed up about it won't help. Right now there's nothing we can do to stop that fucker, we'll only be able to catch him in Japan."

The assassin's calmness only seemed to fuel Noah's anger.

"God, I wish I could just punch something!" He let out in frustration.

"Whoa, whoa, what's all the commotion about?" Chris asked as he walked into the room where Noah and the crew was.

"It's funny, it all started with us discussing why Alejandro went all the way to Hong Kong." Ricardo commented.

"Oh, that must be because I scheduled an arrival there." The host replied nonchalantly.

"What do you mean?" the Asian boy turned to him.

"Well, all the stops of the show had to be previously marked. Alejandro must be following them because all the refueling and fixes have been paid beforehand."

"Let me get this straight, McLean." Ana rubbed her temple with the tips of her index and middle finger. "You're telling me... that all this time... you knew which stops they were making... Patrícia and Marco risked their lives to obtain that information… and you never told us until now?!"

Chris flinched at Ana's outburst. The teenager was already in a dangerously bad mood, the last thing he needed was to piss her off more. "Well, hum... y-you didn't ask, so I thought it wasn't important..."

Her eyes opened, and as he stared into those pitch black irises of hers, he knew he was in for it.

"Akamai, are you still feeling like punching something?" She asked, still not taking her gaze off Chris.

"I've never felt so eager for it in my life." Noah replied.

"Then beat McLean up for me, I'm not in the mood today."

Chris stared at her in disbelief at first. Then he started laughing.

"Seriously? Noah? What's he gonna do, read me a book until I beg for mercy?" He mocked as he kept laughing.

He sure wasn't expecting the hard punch that came to his stomach right after.

* * *

"Well, children, now it's time to give you the presents." Cody said.

"We have presents?" Patricía asked, surprised.

"Of course you do. It is your birthday after all." The thin geek replied with a smile as he took two small gifts, one in red paper and the other in blue. He handed the red one to Patrícia and the blue one to Marco. "Here you go."

The twins grabbed their presents and eagerly opened them. Cody couldn't help the satisfied smile that came upon his lips as the two siblings gasped.

" 'Zombie Puncher 3: Revenge of the Zombies' ?!" Marco couldn't help letting out. "These aren't even in Portugal yet!"

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!" Patrícia shook with excitement.

"I'm glad I made the right choice." The geeky teen replied. "I knew it was the right game for you the moment I laid eyes on them."

The two kids stood up and ran around the table to go give Cody a tight hug.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"This is the best present ever!"

The teenager kept smiling as he rubbed their backs and placed a kiss upon their foreheads. "Happy Birthday, little ones."

"Ahem." Alejandro cleared his throat, and the three looked at him. "There's still a present left, brats." he said as he took out his own gift, handing it to the twins. "You'll have to share this one."

Marco's gaze jumped from the gift to Alejandro. He didn't know what to expect from him. It could be a prank, a bad one. But no, not when Cody was watching. So, though still hesitating, he took the gift and opened it.

"A cell phone?" he asked.

"A disposable cell phone." Alejandro replied. "I'm pretty sure your sister would like to talk to you."

The two kids stared at him in disbelief. Was he actually serious? Was he actually letting them call their older sister, the girl who was after him, who wants to catch him?

"But you'll do it in front of me." the tanned teen added. "Just because it's your birthday doesn't mean you can tell her everything."

They looked up at Cody, who smiled again and nodded. "I'm sure she must miss hearing your voices. Go ahead."

Marco and Patrícia looked at each other, and slowly their lips formed into wide smiles as the boy started dialing the number.

* * *

Ana watched as Chris yowled in pain. Noah had already given him quite a beating, and now he was twisting the host's arm behind his back.

"Why would you teach him these things?!" Chris managed to let out, and Ana shrugged at that.

"Kid wanted to learn. Besides, he needs to practice."

"And why use me- OW! -as a punching bag?!"

"Well, I certainly wasn't going to use Heather, she's _my_ punching bag, and I don't share. As for the others, they haven't exactly done anything wrong to get beat up. You, on the other hand-" she stopped talking when her phone started ringing again. She didn't even bother looking at the number, she simply answered it. "Carreira."

"_Ana?_"

She stood straight as she recognized the voice on the other end. "Marco?"

Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at Ana, listening on the conversation.

"_Yes, sis, it's me._"

"Where are you? How did you manage to call me?"

"_Alejandro got us this phone._"

She got silent for a moment, her eyes showing confusion. "Why… would Alejandro get you a phone?..."

"_It's a disposable cell phone, so we could talk with you. You know why, right?_"

She sighed, her gaze turning tender, though her face remained void of emotion. "I know. Happy Birthday, you little brat."

"_You think we could have a cake when we're back home?_" The boy asked eagerly, which amused the older sister greatly.

"I'm sure that can be arranged. Now let me talk to our sister."

She heard noise as the phone was handed over to Patrícia.

"_Hello?_"

"Hello, Birthday girl." Ana's voice was as tender to her as it had been to Marco.

* * *

Cody watched as Patrícia smiled while she talked with her older sister, and couldn't help a smile of his own.

"Yeah, they made us a big surprise." Patrícia said as she looked up at the two teens. "Cody gave us that videogame we wanted… Yeah, we're having lots of fun."

She stopped for a moment as her sister talked, and her smile faded a little.

"He's been smiling a lot." Another moment of silence. "Yeah, he seems happy."

Cody felt confused. Who was Patrícia talking about? Her brother, maybe?

Her smile returned. "I love you too."

"Me too!" Marco yelled, making sure that his older sister heard him.

Patrícia sent her brother a look, as if he was stupid, then resumed her talking on the phone, probably with their second oldest sister, Adriana. Once both of them talked with her as well, Marco stood up and walked over to Alejandro, offering him the phone. "Ana wants to talk to you."

The tanned teen raised an eyebrow at this, but eventually accepted the device and brought it to his ear. "Hello?"

"_Wasn't expecting you to do such a thing, Burromuerto._" He heard the killer's voice on the other side, and chuckled.

"What can I say? I am a wonderful person." He replied in a smug tone.

"_Well don't get any ideas. I'm still gonna catch you, you have my word._"

He smirked. "And I'll be waiting. Should I shoot you in the stomach again next time we meet? Or should I just aim for the head?"

"_Oh, now you talk dirty to me, too? I didn't know you had that kind of interest in me, Burromuerto, I'm flattered._"

Alejandro chuckled again. That woman sure knew how to keep her composure. "Tell you what, when you find me, if you even find me, we'll have a little duel, how about that?"

"_Sounds good to me. It's a deal._"

"Great, see you then." And with that, he hung up.

* * *

Ana looked back at Noah. "Akamai, I need you to leave for a while."

"What? Why?"

"It's a private meeting. Now get out of here, and take McLean with you!"

Noah narrowed his eyes. He let go of Chris, and approached her.

"You asked about Cody. I won't leave until you tell me how he is." He said calmly.

Ana stared at him with her cold glare as she spoke. "He's fine. Apparently Alejandro hasn't hurt him. Yet."

The tanned teenager frowned. "Is that all you've gathered?"

"Yes. I don't know any details. Now go." She ordered firmly, and this time, Noah obeyed. He grabbed Chris by the wrist and dragged him along, leaving the room to join the others in first class.

Once the door closed behind them, he let go of the host. Regardless of the man's protests, no one came to Chris's aid, safe for Chef.

Frustrated, Noah sat on one of the seats by the window. The others stared at him, obviously surprised by his sudden change in behavior. Beating Chris up was the last thing they thought the know-it-all would do.

"How ya doin', Turkey?" LeShawna asked as she gathered courage and sat across from him.

"Been worse, been better." He replied as he looked out the window.

"Hey." The black girl placed a hand on his knee. "Ana will bring him back, I'm sure."

"I just wish I could know how he is… If only I could talk to him…"

"What about Ana? She probably knows something, right?"

Noah kept looking out the window for a moment before realization hit him. "That's right, she does know something. That's why she told me to leave, she doesn't want me to know."

"Now why would she do that, Noah?" LeShawna asked skeptically. "I don't see why she'd hide anything concerning Cody from you. After all, you are his boyfriend."

The tanned nerd looked her in the eye. "Because she wants to spare me from pain. 'What they don't know, won't hurt them', that's the rule she's following." He thought about it for a moment, then sat up as an idea came to his mind. "Where's Izzy?"

* * *

Ana paced around the room. "This is worse than I thought."

"How so? He's taken the twins out on their special day, and gave them gifts. His heart is melting." Tahira replied as she scratched behind Bane's ears.

"Didn't you always say that emotion weakens a person?" Adriana looked up at her older sister.

"Yes, I've always said that. Love rots your capability of being merciless. And yes, Alejandro's weakening, that's a good sign. But that's not what I'm worried about." She stopped and turned to her crew. "It's about Cody."

* * *

"Bam, bam, bam-bam-bam, bam, bam-bam-bam, bam-"

"Izzy, shut up!"

The crazy girl stopped singing James Bond's theme as she heard Noah ordering her to be quiet. She still couldn't help muttering it just a few second later.

"Hmm, hmm, hmm-hmm-hmm, hmm…"

Noah sighed in frustration. "Will you focus, please? I really want to get there today."

The orange haired girl led the way through the pipe, and he followed. He had come up with the idea just like that. So what if Ana didn't want him to hear the conversation? It didn't mean he couldn't anyway. All he needed was a secret passage, and someone who knew it well. And who better than Izzy? She already knew all the ways inside the plane, what with her crazy exploring and whatnot.

"But that's not what I'm worried about. It's about Cody." He could hear Ana's voice close by, and he could see a light up ahead. He followed Izzy there, until they reached a ventilation grid. They peeked through it to see the crew gathering. Ana had her arms crossed as she looked at the others.

"When I asked Patrícia about Cody, she said that he's been smiling a lot, that he seems happy."

"But, wouldn't that mean…" Adriana started, but never finished her sentence as her sister nodded.

"He's warming up to Alejandro. And after a day like today, he'll be warming up to him even more." The leader said.

Noah's eyes widened at this.

"Stockholm Syndrome." Ricardo let out. "The victim starts identifying themselves with the kidnapper, and even grow close to them."

"Precisely." Ana continued. "If Cody is suffering of Stockholm Syndrome, then I don't even want to think what will happen tonight. And believe me, Alejandro will want a reward for having put up with the kid's birthday."

"Poor Noah. He'd be devastated if he ever found out about that." Adriana let out.

That's when Bane perked up, and started growling at the ventilation grid. Sensing her companion's discomfort, Tahira got up from the couch and stood on the table so she could reach the grid. She looked inside. There was nobody in there. But the scent was fresh.

She looked at her leader.

"I'm afraid he already has."

* * *

Noah was already sitting on the couch in first class, his face hidden in his palms in desperation, when Ana came out of the room. She approached him and stood in front of him.

"This is why I didn't want you to hear the conversation, Akamai. You'd end up in this pathetic state."

Noah didn't even reply at first. Instead, he leaned back on the couch and looked up at the ceiling.

"How will I face Cody once this is all over?" he asked. "What will happen between us?"

"That will be up to you." Ana crossed her arms. "I am not the one who's gonna fix things between you two. But let me give you a little piece of advice. Don't confuse Stockholm Syndrome with cheating. They're not the same thing."

Noah merely closed his eyes, staying silent.

"Well, look at it this way." She continued. "This could be a good reason for you to train harder. Picture yourself having your revenge. Trust me, when you have it, nothing in the world will feel as sweet as that."

The tanned nerd opened his eyes to watch her leave, and he remained seated in thought for a while. 'She's right', he thought to himself. If he wanted to beat Alejandro up, he'd have to train harder. And just thinking about Alejandro touching his Cody, caressing his soft skin, laying in bed with him… It made him feel furious enough to punch a hole through the wall.

He stood up. He had to go find Tahira. They still had a lot to practice.

* * *

Night arrived fast. After a whole day of travelling around the city, going to places and stores chosen by the twins, the four were happy to be back to the plane, back to where they could rest.

Alejandro started the engines, and soon they were back in the air, heading to their next stop. He heard someone pushing the curtain to the cockpit aside.

"I managed to put them to sleep once you stabilized the plane." Cody said as he walked in. "They were bushed."

"With how much we walked today, I'm surprised they lasted so long." The tanned teen replied.

"Yeah." Cody approached him and sat on the co-pilot's chair, looking up at the sky. "I really appreciate what you did, Alejandro. Those kids had a great birthday thanks to you."

"I did what you told me to, Cody."

The geeky teen looked at him. "I don't remember ever asking you to give them a phone so they could call their sisters."

Alejandro looked back at him, and their eyes met, green with teal. He activated the auto-mode, so he could talk freely with Cody. The tanned teen turned to the smaller boy.

"I just thought it would be a good idea. I knew it was the best thing I could give those two the moment I saw it."

Cody reached for him to hold his hands. "And I am so glad you did. It was a wonderful gift, and I can see they appreciated it a lot. Thank you."

Alejandro squeezed back with a smile. "It was my pleasure." He let go of one of Cody's hands to caress a pale cheek. "As it is to be with you."

Cody's smile disappeared and he looked away, but it never kept a blush from coming to his cheeks.

"Cody, will you look at me?" the bigger boy asked caringly, only for Cody to stand up.

"I n-need a shower…" He let out as he rushed out of the cockpit to go back to the suite. Alejandro just leaned back in the chair as he heard the other's footsteps going further away.

* * *

The hot water poured hard on his shoulders as he pressed his hands against the wall of the shower.

Cody sighed in frustration. He was so confused… Alejandro had kidnapped him, mistreated him, raped him… given him food and water, and given the twins a great birthday…

He gripped his hair in fists, and pressed his forehead against the wall with a groan.

"What is wrong with you, Cody…?" he asked himself out loud. "What in the world is wrong with you?"

"The answer is simple: nothing is wrong with you."

The pale boy never raised his head, nor looked at who spoke, not even as the shower curtain was pushed aside to let a tanned, strong, naked body in. He felt two strong arms wrap around his thin body in a warm embrace.

"I never gave you permission to come in…" He let out lowly.

"Like I even needed it." Alejandro placed a kiss on Cody's shoulder as the boy backed away from the wall to stand straight. Two more kisses, and Cody finally turned around.

"Stop it!" the smaller teenager let out as he tried to push the other away. "This isn't right! I'm in love with someone else, you know that!"

Alejandro pressed a hand against the wall, next to Cody's head. "Are you saying that to convince me, or to convince yourself?"

Cody didn't answer. He just stared up at his assaulter, mouth opening and closing, like a fish, only for no sound to come out. He eventually let out a sigh, facing away, only to have a big hand carefully holding his chin up.

"Don't be like that, Cody. I'll be gentle this time." And with that, he pressed their lips together.

At first, Cody's eyes widened, and he pushed against Alejandro's chest, trying to push him away.

"No…! Alejandro-!"

Another kiss. Another push.

"Please, stop it-"

One more kiss. A much weaker push.

"Please…"

And the cycle repeated once more.

"I…"

That was the last word that came out of Cody's mouth before he finally melted into the kisses. His hands remained on Alejandro's chest, but they no longer pushed him away.

The warm water kept pouring on them, wetting pale and tanned skin, light and dark brown hair, thin and strong bodies.

Cody's back met cold tile as Alejandro pressed against him. His pale arms reached up, wrapping around a strong neck, and his thin legs did the same to a tanned waist. Alejandro's hands found their way under pale thighs, supporting the smaller body that was wrapped around his, and his lips claimed Cody's once more.

Their skin met the soft sheets with delight. Cody had never noticed how they came out of the shower and ended on the bed, and that was the least of his concerns at the moment. All that mattered was the amazingly strong and tanned body that loomed over his own. He could feel the muscles flex under the dark skin as his fingers travelled over the arms, the neck, the chest, the thighs of this God that pleasured him.

More kisses came in between as his legs spread. Kisses on his forehead, his cheeks, his lips, his neck, his chest, and as the trail was followed back and forth, his lower half was also worshipped in caresses. Alejandro's hands travelled all over his skin as if touching the most fragile of all porcelain dolls. Each caress explored further, searching for the true treasure, getting closer and closer, and soon the body followed behind.

Pale hands gripped wet, pearl white sheets in ecstasy, and moans came from his mouth like humming of birds. The bed shook with the energy emanating from them, and the air became warmer and warmer as they hugged each other in their act.

Their embrace tightened, and their bodies contracted one last time before relaxing completely. Slowly, the embrace was broken, and limbs fell onto the sheets in tiredness, while teal stared into green.

Only when Cody closed his eyes in exhaustion did Alejandro move. The tanned teen lied beside the smaller body, pulling the white sheets over them and embracing the boy once again, caressing the boy's light brown hair as he placed a kiss on his lips once more.

Then, his green eyes closed as well.


	20. Chapter 19: Little Cody

**Author's Notes: No animals were harmed in the making of this chapter. Also, my apologies for taking so long with the update, and thank you all for being so patient.**

**Enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter 19**

"Right. I see, thank you." Ana said before hanging up the phone. "Damn it all…"

"Any news?" Adriana approached her older sister with a curious gaze.

"Fanxiang's spy just came in contact. Alejandro took off about an hour ago." She replied.

"Why didn't he warn sooner then?" the younger sister didn't understand why wait a full hour to warn them about Alejandro's take off.

"It was a smart thing to do. If he contacted us right away, Alejandro could have intercepted it." Ana ran her hand over her brown hair in thought. "McClean told me it would take them around four, five hours to get to Tokyo."

"So we still have time." The younger sister said with hope in her voice.

"Not quite." Tahira replied as she walked into the room, Bane calmly walking by her side. "If we want to surprise him, we'll have to get there way before him. Having him notice we are there is a risk we can't afford to take."

The leader nodded in understanding. "The same logic that Fanxiang's spy had followed. Keep our distance, but with our eyes open." She looked up, silent for a moment, her lips pressed in deep thought. "The sooner we leave, the better. And to me, now is the time to leave." She started heading for the door. "I'll go tell the big guy to go start the plane."

"We can't." Ricardo's sentence stopped her on her tracks. "Some of the cast wanted to go out for a while, see the sights and a little of what Beijing has to offer."

She gripped the bridge of her nose with her indicator and thumb, a clear indication that something was getting on her nerves.

"Please." She grumbled. "Please, tell me he didn't."

"He did." The geeky boy confirmed before looking back at the screen indifferently. "You'll find him in the kitchen."

"I'm going to kill him. I'm going to fucking kill him." Ana's voice was suddenly followed by a loud slam as she kicked the door open. "MCLEAN, YOU FILTHY EXCUSE FOR A RAT‼!"

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Sierra?" Gwen asked as she walked beside the purple haired girl.

"I couldn't just leave it there!"

"Yeah, but bringing it to the plane?" LeShawna intervened. "I'm not so sure it's the safest place. I'm not sure it's safe at all…"

"Well I'm certain Ana won't mind." The tallest girl said as they walked up the stairs that allowed them to get into the place. "I mean, how angry could she possibly get?"

As if on cue, the moment they went inside the plane, Chris and Ana fell through the kitchen's door, the assassin's hands wrapped around the host's throat tightly. The raven haired man tried frenetically to pry her hands off him as he started to lose color.

"I'll teach you to let people leave without my saying in it! I swear on all the unfortunate souls that have met me, I'll make you learn not to compromise my missions‼!"

"Does that answer your question?" LeShawna muttered through gritted teeth. Sierra just gulped and hid what she had brought behind her back.

After a few more seconds of trying to choke Chris to death, Ana finally acknowledged the three, instantly glaring at them. Her hands let go of McLean's throat, and she got up to approach them, leaving Chris alone with a coughing fit.

"Well, look who's back." She let out, slowly approaching them. "I take it you enjoyed seeing the sights?"

Her tone was… calm. Too calm for her.

Sierra gathered to courage to actually try to answer. "Why yes, it was-"

"That was a rhetorical question, you weren't supposed to answer it‼!"

"Will ya relax? We just left for fifteen minutes, it's not that bad!" LeShawna intervened, holding her posture, showing no fear.

Ana did not seem amused by it.

"Five more minutes, and I would've ordered Chef to take off without you. You'd be China's problem from then on." She stated as she turned back and started walking towards the kitchen. "Get out of my sight, and don't show up for at least a whole hour. I'm hotheaded, and it takes a long while for me to cool off. And I assure you, nothing good happens when I'm angry."

LeShawna did not like that comment, and took a step forward, ready to retort.

"And I-"

But Gwen didn't let her finish, her pale hand covering the black girl's mouth.

"Leave her, LeShawna." She whispered as Ana finally shut the kitchen door behind her. "Don't waste your breath on her. Let's just go."

* * *

" 'I assure you, nothing good happens when I'm angry.' " LeShawna repeated in a mocking imitation of Ana's voice. "Who does that bitch think she is?! We were out for fifteen minutes, and she was willing to just leave us here!"

"Don't make such a fuss out of it, LeShawna. It's not worth it." Gwen tried to calm her black friend down.

"Yeah, she's just being mean to get to us." Sierra agreed, petting the little fur ball that lied on her lap.

"Well it's working!" LeShawna continued her rant. "Just because her face looks like the devil doesn't mean she has to act like one!"

Sierra couldn't help the chuckle that came out of her mouth. "Good one."

"In any case, we'll just need to be patient a little longer. Apparently she has a plan to get Alejandro and rescue Cody. After that, we'll never have to see her again."

"I hope so." LeShawna crossed her arms as she sat down, taking in a deep breath to calm her nerves. "If everything goes well, we'll never have to see her ugly mug again."

* * *

Cody woke up to the feeling of warmth and comfort, embracing him, trying to pull him back to slumber. But his mind was well rested from the long night, and it became difficult to go back to sleep. With a happy sigh, he sat up and stretched his back, loving the feel of the snapping and the relief that followed.

His hand reached for the other side of the bed, searching, since the darkness kept him from seeing anything.

Empty.

His feet met the warm carpeted floor, and his hand was once more guiding him in the darkness of the room, searching the wall. Eventually he found the light switch and the once pitch black room was suddenly covered in bright colors.

Cody had to close his eyes with a groan. Even wide awake, his eyes were still too adjusted to darkness. But, as always, after a few minutes, he would finally be able to open them normally.

He looked around. There was still a wet trail that led from the bathroom to the bed, clearly an evidence from the previous night.

'Last night…' the words echoed as his eyes travelled over the dark trail. 'Alejandro…'

He turned around and looked at the door, wondering. Would it still be locked? Would he grab the doorknob, only for it to stay still? Or did Alejandro forget to lock it?

The pale boy walked over to the white closet and opened it. Among other clothes and boxes, a blue robe stood out at the end, on a wooden hanger. The thin teen took it out and wrapped it around his body, the thread wrapping around his skin comfortably.

He approached the door. His fingers circled the door knob and twisted it. His eyes darted up as the fine wood made way for him.

* * *

The sun was starting to come up, making it hard for Alejandro to see. He eventually just turned on the autopilot, the plane's radar being much more accurate at spotting and avoiding other planes than his eyes were at the moment.

Said green eyes looked to the side, admiring the sight of the clouds passing under them, big and fluffy like gigantic cotton sculptures, inviting him to just jump onto them. But he knew full well, those clouds were mere mermaids, singing an inviting tone to lead anyone who follows them to certain death. So he would just sit there and admire their beauty as they would slowly turn golden and shine, reflecting the first lights of the sun.

The sound of cloth moving him back from his thoughts.

"You left the door unlocked."

He turned around on his chair to face the new arrival. Cody stood there, barefoot and with only a blue robe covering his thin body, his hair messy from moving around in his sleep, his eyes still slightly unfocused. Clearly he had just woken up.

Alejandro leaned back on his chair with a smile. "I know."

Cody made his way to the co-pilot's seat, also looking out at the scenery. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"The clouds?"

"Everything." Cody replied calmly. "The sunrise or the clouds alone are already beautiful, but together… They make the most spectacular landscape." A smile finally graced the smaller boy's lips as he admired the view.

The Spanish young man also turned forward, looking back at the clouds ahead of them.

"We'll be landing in around two hours." He spoke after a while of silence. "You should get those two to bathe. Being kids doesn't keep them from being smelly." He looked at Cody again. "You should too. You'll see it will feel good."

Cody stood up, staring outside for a few more seconds before walking back out. "I'll go wake them up." He let out before pushing the curtain that served as a door away.

* * *

Gwen and LeShawna woke up from their small slumber when Sierra let out a shriek.

"Sierra, what's wrong?" Gwen held her friend by the arms, trying to get her to calm down.

"It's Little Cody! He's gone‼!" the purple haired girl answered in panic.

"Calm down, girl!" LeShawna replied. "He mustn't have gone far. We're in a plane, and flying. Come on, he's gotta be around. Let's go find him, okay?" The black girl rubbed her friend's back as she nodded, the three walking out the room to go find 'Little Cody'.

* * *

Tahira walked into the kitchen, where the other members of the crew were still discussing their plan.

"Chef isn't catching anything on the radar. Only commercial planes." She informed.

"Good." Her older sister replied. "He can't see us if we can't see him." Ana played with a pencil as she stared at the pin on the map, the word 'Japan' pierced under it. "This is it, crew." She looked up at her friends. "We've only got one chance at this. We screw up, and all is lost. That means we can't screw up. Not again."

"Just because we weren't prepared doesn't meant we screwed up, Ana." Ricardo said.

"Not being prepared is a screw up in itself, Ricky." She looked back at her Asian friend. "That and the fact we let him get away." Her hand found its way to her stomach, where, underneath her shirt, bandages covered her body, protecting the wound under them. "Alejandro is strong and determined. We must be more than that if we want to catch him. We'll also have to be patient and stealthy. We are strong, fearless, nothing will stand in our-"

She stopped speaking when something suddenly jumped onto the table, quietly pacing over the map, looking at her with bright green eyes.

"Meow."

Ana was frozen in place, her black eyes staring at the orange cat that mewled at her. Her face became pale, her body trembled, cold sweat started dripping from her temples.

"AAAAHHHH‼!" The cat barely had time to dodge her attack, jumping away at the right time before a chair hit the table with so much force they both broke. The feline started running away, also barely dodging a knife, and the bullets that followed.

* * *

When the trio heard a scream, followed by shooting, they instantly knew that Sierra's new cat was in trouble.

"Little Cody!" The tall girl let out in panic, running towards the kitchen, Gwen and LeShawna following close behind. They reached the main hall just in time to see Little Cody scrambling out of the kitchen, immediately running towards Sierra and leaping into her arms.

And came out afterwards with a gun in her hand, pointing it at the cat in the black girl's arms.

"WHO BROUGHT THAT THING INTO THE PLANE?!" the killer screamed, still with the gun firmly pointed at the feline.

Sierra was completely paralyzed. She knew she was in big trouble now.

"What's going on?" Harold's voice was heard as he, Duncan, Trent, Noah and Izzy came out of their personal rooms to come see what all the fuss was about. Chris and Chef also couldn't help their curiosity, coming out of the cockpit to see what was going on.

"I… I found him on the streets… He was alone, cold and hungry… So I-" Sierra tried to explain, only for Ana to interrupt her.

"So you brought that thing into the plane?! Are you out of your mind?!"

Everyone stared at her, confused. Sure, Ana would be angry, but this reaction was different. Her eyes were wide, she was sweating, and her breathing was way faster than normal. Not to mention, she was shaking, they could see it in her body and hear it in her voice.

"PFFFFFF HAH HAH HAH‼!" Everyone looked at Duncan, who was clutching his stomach as he laughed. "I can't believe this! This is too rich‼!" he let out before opening his eyes to look at Ana. "The great Ana Carreira, ruthless assassin, fearless leader… is afraid of cats‼!"

"N-no!… SHUT UP‼!" Ana yelled at him, but Duncan just kept laughing.

The rest of the cast looked back at her in disbelief. Sierra took a small step towards her, only for Ana to tense up. "Don't you dare taking another step‼! I'll shoot you and that cat‼!" she yelled, which made the black girl stop.

"Seriously? I mean, seriously?" Noah crossed his arms, amused. "You've probably faced death hundreds of times, got shot in the stomach and nearly killed, you strike fear in the hearts of anyone who gets in your way… and you get freaked out by cats?"

"Hey, those are the reincarnations of the Devil, man‼! They cannot be trusted‼!" Ana replied, still not taking her eyes off the cat, as if the creature would strike any minute.

Duncan laughed even harder at that, and Heather couldn't help the interested look that came upon her features.

"Ana…" The killer looked up at Sierra, but still keeping a close eye on the feline. "Look, I rescued this little guy, and I'm planning on taking him home with me. I promise to keep him away from you. And after the mission is done, you'll never see me or the cat again. Please?"

Ana pressed her lips tight, her gaze going from Sierra, to the cat, then back to Sierra.

"Fine." She slowly lowered her gun. "But you better keep that thing away from me." She warned before leaving, going back into the kitchen to calm her nerves, and to get back to planning, her crew following right behind her and closing the door.

Each member of the cast started going back to their room, some finally letting out a few giggles and chuckles now that Ana wasn't there. And only when they were in their rooms did they allow themselves to laugh.


End file.
